May Measurement Month 2022: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Armenia

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was carried out in Armenia in 2022 with the aim of raising awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Here, we report on the findings of the campaign. Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited opportunistically in public areas, both indoor and outdoor, as well as in primary and secondary healthcare centres. Three seated BP readings were taken for each participant, along with completion of a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or being on antihypertensive medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on antihypertensive medication with a BP <140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate any missing BP readings. In total, 11 618 participants were screened, with a mean age of 52.4 (SD 16.5) years and 55.7% of whom were female. Of all participants, 5,999 (51.6%) had hypertension, of whom 3,729 (62.2%) were aware, and 3,203 (53.4%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 1,130 (35.3%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, only 18.8% had controlled BP. In total, 4,869 (41.9%) were found to have either untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. The MMM campaign in Armenia identified significant numbers of participants with either untreated or inadequately treated hypertensives. We found that the percentage of hypertensives who are not adequately treated is still substantial in Armenia, which is a vital contributor to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. May Measurement Month is a pragmatic and reasonably inexpensive tool to improve public awareness of BP in the general population.