Student-Led Blood Pressure Clinics: A Community-Level Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Health Literacy among Adults Living in Northern Ontario

Background: High blood pressure affects approximately 25% of the Canadian population and is implicated in a number of poor health outcomes. According to the 2020 Hypertension Canada Guidelines, for both the prevention and management of hypertension, health behaviour interventions can effectively lower blood pressure. Health literacy is recognized as a significant social determinant of health. Low health literacy is associated with adverse health behaviours and poor subjective health. This study aims to assess whether student-led blood pressure clinics can improve the blood pressure related health literacy of adults in Northern Ontario. Methods: Blood pressure clinics were held at four different publicly accessible sites in Thunder Bay, ON. 110 participants were presented with a survey before and after their participation in an educational intervention centred on hypertension. Pre- and post-test scores were compared and linear regression analyses were conducted to assess for relationships between scores and sociodemographics. Results: A significant increase in post-test scores across all domains was observed. Linear regression analyses revealed that income and previous diagnosis of hypertension were significant predictors of pre-test performance, income and education level were significant predictors of post-test performance, and education was a significant predictor of percent score improvement. Conclusions: This study highlights the effectiveness of a student-led educational intervention designed to improve hypertension health literacy among community members in Thunder Bay, ON. The findings suggest that structured, student-led education can enhance blood pressure related knowledge and may encourage hypertension prevention and/or more effective blood pressure management. This pop-up clinic model offers a scalable framework for other student-run free clinics to adopt, providing them with a practical approach to addressing hypertension-related health literacy disparities in their own communities.