May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Cape Verde

The Cabo Verdean population is aging and, consequently, non-communicable diseases, namely cardiovascular diseases, are increasing, with hypertension being an important risk factor. Following Cabo Verde's engagement with the May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign, in 2019, it was possible to improve the screening capacity, at the same time that a major social mobilization campaign was carried out to improve the population's knowledge about raised blood pressure (BP) and its consequences. With activities on nine islands, telemedicine was used to train researchers and volunteers. The MMM app was used to collect participant data. Individuals aged ≥18 years were recruited through opportunistic sampling. Each participant completed a questionnaire on demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors and had three BP measurements and weight and height measurements. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg (mean of the second and third readings), or when using antihypertensive medication. When respondents did not provide three BP readings, multiple imputation using chained equations was used to calculate the mean of the second and third readings. A total of 17 627 individuals [mean age of 42.7 (SD 16.2); 63.8% women] were screened. After multiple imputation, 5990 (34.0%) had hypertension, of which 68.4% knew the diagnosis previously and 51.3% used antihypertensive drugs. The reported use of antihypertensive medication and a previous diagnosis of hypertension were strong predictors of higher levels of systolic and diastolic BP. Corrective actions were taken with an updated national protocol for hypertension treatment in primary health care. The II Non-Communicable Diseases Survey corroborated MMM national data that we see as an ideal initiative to reach the public, raising awareness about this important cardiovascular risk factor and providing political decision instruments.