May Measurement Month 2023: results of an opportunistic blood pressure screening campaign in Uganda

The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was conducted in Uganda in 2023 to raise awareness of raised blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited through convenience sampling at St Francis Hospital, Nsambya and Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in Kampala. Three seated BP readings were taken on each participant, and a questionnaire collected information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140mmHg or diastolic BP ≥90mmHg or being on BP-lowering medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on BP-lowering medication with a BP <140/90mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate missing BP readings. In total, 2,597 adults were screened, with a mean age of 47.1 years and 59.6% were female. Of all participants, 1,320 (50.8%) had hypertension, of whom 793 (60.1%) were aware, and 773 (58.6%) were on antihypertensive medication. Of those on antihypertensive medication, 330 (42.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension, 25.0% had controlled BP. Male participants were more often hypertensive, but had lower rates of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control, than female participants. The MMM campaign in Uganda identified substantial numbers of participants with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension. It also highlights that tailored strategies are needed to address the sex differences in hypertension diagnosis, treatment and control.