Project "hypertension alert"

"Hypertension Alert", a 1979-80 blood pressure screening-awareness project of the Yonkers Public Schools, used health aides to work with students and school personnel to determine the blood pressure of 5,399 elementary, middle and high school pupils in 52 public and parochial schools. Using a cutoff of 130/85 mm Hg, 140 students with higher initial readings were followed up by school nurses and nurse teachers. Of these, 36 were referred to their private care providers. "Hypertension Alert" was received warmly in the schools. Many students appeared to acquire "blood pressure consciousness". A carry-over benefit in 1980-81 and 1981-82 has been the greatly increased use of sphygmomanometry in individual school health office programs.