Gabriele Kerr

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Brazil in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥ 18 years were recruited through convenience sampling collected in all Brazilian states. Three seated BP readings were taken in each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 6025 were screened, with a mean age of 39.5 years and 56.2% of whom were female. Of all participants, 1896 (31.5%) had hypertension, of whom 1235 (65.1%) were aware, and 1167 (61.6%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 665 (57.0%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 35.1% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in Brazil identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. This reinforces the importance of public policies focused on effectively detecting snf controlling hypertension and reducing the social and economic impact of this condition.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Ecuador in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at sites in Ecuador, primarily focusing on major cities and surrounding areas such as Quito, Riobamba, Guayaquil, Milagro, Loja, Duran, Cerecita, and Huaquillas. Three seated BP readings were taken on each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 7,423 were screened, with a mean age of 31.4 years and 52.4% were female. Of all participants, 788 (10.6%) had hypertension, of whom 337 (42.8%) were aware, and 316 (40.1%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 214 (67.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 27.2% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in Ecuador identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. These results underscore that appropriate screening is crucial for identifying individuals with elevated BP and those inadequately treated. The data should urge health policymakers and providers in Ecuador to implement intensive and urgent programs for BP measurement and treatment.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Mongolia in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at primary health care centres in Ulaanbaatar. Three seated BP readings were taken from each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate one or two missing BP readings. In total, 5,413 participants were screened, with a mean age of 46.8 years; 55.6% were female. Of all participants, 2,302 (42.5%) had hypertension, of whom 1,920 (83.4%) were aware and 1,896 (82.4%) were on antihypertensive medication. Among those on antihypertensive medication, 976 (51.5%) had a BP controlled to <140/90mmHg, and of all participants with hypertension, 42.4% had controlled BP. MMM 2023 in Mongolia identified substantial proportions of untreated and particularly, inadequately controlled hypertension, reinforcing the need for improved screening and treatment strategies at the national level.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Paraguay in 2023 to raise awareness of elevated blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at 175 screening sites in 18 Health Regions across the country, and data were collected by 54 trained healthcare volunteers. Three seated BP readings were taken from each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or a diastolic BP ≥90mmHg, or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 7,373 adults were screened, with a mean age of 47.0 years and 62.1% were female. Of all participants, 4,072 (55.2%) had hypertension, of whom 3,009 (73.9%) were aware, and 2,912 (71.5%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 1,274 (43.8%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 31.3% had controlled BP. Of those on BP-lowering medication, 47.5% were taking only one pharmacologic agent. Male participants showed lower awareness of high BP, were less likely to use BP-lowering medication, and exhibited poorer BP control. The MMM campaign identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. These findings emphasise the need to strengthen prevention, early detection, effective treatment, and public health policies to improve patient outcomes.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in India in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling from villages, door-to-door visits, public locations, community centres, urban areas, slum communities, rural health posts, colleges, non-governmental organisation offices and centres, and urban health camps. Three seated BP readings were taken in each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 11,958 were screened, with a mean age of 47.8 years and 59.9% were female. Of all participants, 3,420 (28.6%) had hypertension, of whom 1,200 (35.1%) were aware, and 734 (21.5%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 459 (62.5%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 13.4% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in India identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. These findings highlight the urgent need for strengthened community-based screening, follow up, and awareness programs to improve early detection and initiation and adherence to treatment. Integrating regular BP checks-in primary healthcare and public health outreach activities could significantly reduce the growing burden of hypertension and its associated complication in the Indian population.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Cameroon in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at multiple sites (markets, churches, homes, motor parks, workplaces, and hospitals/clinics). Three seated BP readings were taken on each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 2,353 were screened, with a mean age of 44.9 years and 62.7% were female. Of all participants, 933 (39.7%) had hypertension, of whom 651 (69.8%) were aware, and 607 (65.1%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 318 (52.4%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 34.1% had controlled BP.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Vietnam in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at multiple sites across various provinces and cities throughout Vietnam. Three seated BP readings were taken from each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 10,944 adults were screened, with a mean age of 53.5 years and 52.3% were female. Of all participants, 4,905 (44.8%) had hypertension, of whom 3,673 (74.9%) were aware, and 3,584 (73.1%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 1,925 (53.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 39.2% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in Vietnam identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. These findings underscore the urgent need for strengthened national strategies to improve hypertension screening, treatment accessibility, and long-term blood pressure control.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in the Philippines in 2023 to raise awareness of the importance of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥ 18 years were recruited via opportunistic/convenience sampling at various screening sites. Three seated BP readings were taken on each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. In total, 33,190 were screened, with a mean age of 45.6 years and 58.9% were female. Of all participants, 11,421 (34.4%) had hypertension, of whom 4,177 (36.6%) were aware, and 4,058 (35.5%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 2,088 (51.5%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 18.3% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in the Philippines identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. This group of patients represent a missed opportunity for prevention of complications, hence the need for improved awareness through establishment of year-round hypertension screening programs and the use of at least two or more first-line antihypertensive drugs to achieve good BP control as recommended by guidelines.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at hospitals, general practice surgeries, community pharmacies, universities, gyms, and other public places. Three seated BP readings were taken for each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate one or two missing BP readings. In total, 2,201 were screened, with a mean age of 51.9 years and 51.2% were female. Of all participants, 821 (37.3%) had hypertension, of whom 393 (47.9%) were aware, and 300 (36.5%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 152 (50.8%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 18.6% had controlled BP. Hypertension was more common in males, whilst awareness, antihypertensive medication use, and BP control were lower. Hypertension awareness and antihypertensive medication use were particularly low in adults aged <50 years. The MMM campaign in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom identified substantial numbers of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. This evidence reinforces the urgent need for more effective hypertension detection and control strategies to abate the rising hypertension burden.

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Ghana in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling in the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central and Ashanti Regions of Ghana. Three seated BP readings were taken on each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. In total, 4,203 were screened, with a mean age of 33.6 years and 29.0% were female. Of all participants, 506 (12.0%) had hypertension, of whom 73 (14.4%) were aware, and 69 (13.6%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 26 (37.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 5.1% had controlled BP. The MMM campaign in Ghana identified a substantial number of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. It is significant to note that the annual BP screening campaign is a means to create awareness of the need to get screened and also identify individuals with high BP.