Hearts in Motion: Evaluating the Utility of a Mobile Health Unit in Ireland for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Objectives Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Irish Heart Foundation's Mobile Health Unit (MHU) in identifying individuals unaware of their elevated blood pressure (BP) and in promoting health awareness through free community-based heart health checks. Study design A prospective evaluation study with baseline assessment and six-week follow-up of participants attending the MHU at 14 locations across Ireland. Methods Three hundred participants received free BP checks from the MHU. Baseline questionnaires assessed health status, lifestyle behaviours, and health service engagement. Follow-up phone calls were conducted six weeks post-health check (n=182) to evaluate changes in awareness, behaviour, and GP engagement. Results The MHU reached a diverse sample (ages 18-84) with even urban-rural representation. Of participants, 48% were not in current employment, and 56% had not attained further education. Nearly 40% had no prior awareness of their BP levels, 22.1% were diagnosed with high BP and 42.9% were prehypertensive, with significantly more males (34.2%) than females (14.4%) having high BP (p<0.001). At six-week follow-up, 70% of those referred attended GP visits, resulting in 28.2% undergoing additional tests, 10.3% receiving hypertension diagnoses, and 42.3% making lifestyle changes. Convenience was the most cited reason for participation (34.4%). Conclusions The MHU effectively engages at-risk groups through opportunistic health checks, contributing to increased BP awareness, positive behaviour changes, and enhanced health service engagement. Findings support service expansion to underserved areas, with recommendations for increased funding, economic evaluation, and targeted reach strategies.