P086 MAY MEASURE MONTH 2023: AN ANALYSIS OF BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING RESULTS FROM NEPAL

Background and Objective: May Measure Month (MMM) is a global annual blood pressure (BP) screening campaign raising awareness about prevention and control of hypertension. Nepal has been participating in this campaign since 2017. We present the results of MMM2023 in Nepal. Methods: Opportunistic BP screening was conducted among adults aged ≥ 18 years from May-August 2023 in Nepal. Participants, selected with convenient sampling, were administered a questionnaire developed by the May Measure Month. Three BP measurements were taken by trained volunteers using digital or manual BP devices. Hypertension is defined using both definitions: 1) BP ≥140/90 mm Hg or currently under antihypertensive medication 2) ≥130/80 mm Hg or currently under antihypertensive medication. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with hypertension. Results: A total of 7,573 adults participated. The mean (SD) systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were 119.0 (15.9) and 79.8 (10.6) mm Hg, respectively. 22.3% and 50.1% participants were hypertensive using thresholds of 140/90 mmHg and 130/80 mmHg, respectively. Proportion of hypertension, overweight (BMI≥ 25 kg/m2), tobacco use, e-cigarette use, alcohol use, diabetes, and mean SBP/DBP were statistically significantly higher among males than females. Among hypertensive individuals, 48.9% were aware of their condition, and 42.1% were receiving pharmacological treatment. Among those under treatment, 60.1% had BP under control (<140/90 mm Hg). Factors associated with hypertension were age ≥40 years (OR 4.91, [95%CI 4.28-5.64]), history of cardiovascular diseases (2.15 [1.30-3.56]), diabetes (1.83 [1.52-2.21]), male sex (1.61 [41.41-1.84]), and overweight (1.60 [1.42-1.80]. Conclusions: The MMM 2023 underscored the ongoing challenge of hypertension management in Nepal, reaffirming the strong association of hypertension with risk factors including age, male sex, history of CVDs, diabetes, and overweight. Despite higher proportion of hypertension among males, their awareness, treatment, and control levels were significantly lower than in females. This study highlights the need to strengthen community-based programs to enhance the continuum of hypertension management.