Study title: Community Blood Pressure Group Study

Lead Reasercher(s): Kalpana Sabapathy, Rudo Chingono

Collaborators: Chiratidzo Ndhlovu, Justin Dixon, Janet Seeley, Fadzaishe Minho

Funder(s): UK Medical Research Council

Partner(s): London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Organisation for Public Health Interventions and Development, Solidar Med, Ministry of Health and Child Care

Background

Hypertension is highly prevalent in Southern Africa but most people living with hypertension have not yet been diagnosed and a high proportion have poorly controlled blood pressure. Hypertension is highly preventable by reducing salt intake and other lifestyle measures and treatable with relatively low-cost medications. Improved blood pressure control will reduce the burden of end-stage disease including ischaemic heart disease and stroke which cause significant disability and death. Leveraging communities and peers to increase awareness about hypertension is an innovative and potentially sustainable approach to improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Study Aim(s)

To develop an effective and scalable intervention to improve blood pressure (BP) control in Zimbabwe using “Community BP Groups

Study design

Hypertension is highly prevalent in Southern Africa but most people living with hypertension have not yet been diagnosed and a high proportion have poorly controlled blood pressure. Hypertension is highly preventable by reducing salt intake and other lifestyle measures and treatable with relatively low-cost medications. Improved blood pressure control will reduce the burden of end-stage disease including ischaemic heart disease and stroke which cause significant disability and death. Leveraging communities and peers to increase awareness about hypertension is an innovative and potentially sustainable approach to improve hypertension diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Duration

October 2023 – April 2025