May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from China

To further improve awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, the May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign continued in 2018 in China. Study subjects were adults aged 18 years or more, ideally those who had not their blood pressure (BP) measured for at least a year. Blood pressure was measured three times consecutively with a 1-min interval in the sitting position, using automated BP monitors in 288 342 participants and transmitted to a central database by a smartphone app. Questionnaire data were collected with the same app. After imputation, the overall proportion of hypertension was 29.8%. Of those with hypertension, the rates of awareness, treatment, and control were 62.3%, 57.3%, and 35.9%, respectively. In analysis based on linear regression models, both systolic and diastolic BP were higher with cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and overweight and obesity. Our study results suggest that hypertension management is improving in comparison with the data in MMM 2017 and the nationwide survey in 2012–15, and several known lifestyle factors are key to hypertension management.