A school-based screening initiative may identify a large proportion of undiagnosedhypertension in patients screened in a community setting.
In the study, researchers conducted a community-based implementation study in Ludhiana, India, training 466 higher secondary students from 18 schools to measure blood pressure using digital sphygmomanometers. Under supervision by health care professionals, the students screened 10,888 adult participants during parent–teacher meetings. The researchers defined hypertension as systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg.
The students identified elevated blood pressure in 21% (n = 2,306) of the participants, including 1,194 participants with newly detected hypertension. The measurements obtained by students showed excellent agreement with those of the supervising health care professionals. Among the participants with newly detected hypertension, 598 of them complied with a follow-up, about 40% of whom sought care from their primary care physician, whereas others scheduled phone-based or in-person appointments.
The findings suggested that student-led screenings may expand the reach of hypertension detection in community settings while maintaining measurement reliability. However, follow-up after detection was incomplete, with most of the participants not engaging in physician care.
The study was limited by its implementation design without a comparison group and by its setting in parent–teacher meetings, which may have limited its generalizability. The investigators didn't assess long-term outcomes such as blood pressure control or treatment adherence.
“By empowering students as change agents, this approach raises community awareness and promotes preventive health behaviors in the long term,” wrote lead study author Bishav Mohan, MD, of the Department of Cardiology at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital at the Unit Hero DMC Heart Institute in India, and colleagues.
The study authors reported no conflicts of interest and no external funding.
Source: Annals of Pediatric Cardiology