May Measurement Month 2023: results of an opportunistic blood pressure screening campaign in Colombia

Abstract The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Colombia in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were opportunistically recruited at healthcare and public facilities across 10 sites in 10 departments. 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, 39,586 adults were screened, with a mean age of 45.1 years and 50.7% were female. Of all participants, 11,609 (29.3%) had hypertension, of whom 7,660 (66.0%) were aware, and 7,440 (64.1%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 5034 (67.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 43.4% had controlled BP. A pescetarian diet was significantly associated with lower systolic (−6.3mmHg, P<0.0001) and diastolic (2.2mmHg, P=0.001) BP, relative to an omnivorous diet after adjustment for age, sex, and BP-lowering medication. The MMM23 campaign in Colombia identified a substantial number of participants with undiagnosed and inadequately controlled hypertension. These findings highlight the need to keep improving awareness and to expand the implementation of proven strategies to achieve better high BP control.