May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Oman

As per WHO estimates, around 17% of the adult Omani population are hypertensive. However, people with hypertension are often unaware of the diagnosis, and so the May Measurement Month (MMM) programme was set up to raise awareness of the importance of blood pressure (BP) screening. A cross-sectional screening of BP of subjects aged 18 years or more was carried out in May 2018 at various sites in Muscat, Oman. Screening sites were set up at the reception areas of participating hospitals, and at a few public areas such as shopping malls and workplaces of the volunteers. Blood pressure was measured according to a standardized protocol, and hypertension was defined as per the 2018 European Society of Hypertension guidelines. The data were analysed centrally by the MMM project team. A total of 12 689 individuals (mean age 40.6 +/- 12.5 years, 72% male) were screened. The crude mean BP of the second and third readings (where three readings were taken, n=4 738) was 127.1/79.2 mmHg. After multiple imputations, the average age and sex standardized BP was 127.3/80.2 mmHg. Of all participants, 29.8% had hypertension. There were 1 983 patients with a previous diagnosis of hypertension, of whom 1 810 were on antihypertensive medication. A further 1 973 subjects were newly diagnosed with hypertension. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 34.9% had uncontrolled BP readings. Screening programmes such as MMM are useful to identify persons with undiagnosed hypertension. However, more educational activities are required to increase the public awareness regarding the dangers of hypertension.