May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Zimbabwe

The May Measurement Month 2021 campaign in Zimbabwe was aimed at assessing the frequency of hypertension and improving awareness among the population of the sequelae of elevated blood pressure (BP). Participants aged 18 years and above were recruited at outdoor booths to fill out a questionnaire and provide three BP measurements with 1-min intervals. Of the 2094 participants, over one-third (37.3%) were hypertensive, half of hypertensives (49.7%) were aware they had elevated pressure, and less than half (45.0%) of the hypertensive patients were on antihypertensive medications. Increasing age was directly proportional to hypertension with a large leap from 9.5 to 27.7% between the 18-29 and 30-39 age groups. Hypertension remains a major public health challenge in Zimbabwe. Improving access to preventive health screening services as well as treatment facilities is essential to early detect and control hypertension.