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

Abstract

This article reports on May Measurement Month (MMM) 2018, which consisted of the 2nd round of the hypertension screening campaign conducted in Albania, a former communist country in South Eastern Europe. The hypertension screening campaign in Albania was conducted during the period 13–31 May 2018. Overall, there were eight sites from seven districts of the country involving 7046 participants aged ≥18 years (61% women and 39% men; overall mean age 46.8 ± 15.7 years). Blood pressure was measured with OMRON sphygmomanometers (Omron Healthcare, Kyoto, Japan). Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg, or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg, or on treatment for hypertension. Self-reported information included height and weight, diabetes, smoking status, and alcohol intake. The proportion of participants with hypertension was 37.2% of whom only 52.1% exhibited awareness. Furthermore, only a quarter of hypertensive individuals were properly treated and controlled. Significant predictors of high SBP and/or high DBP included a previous diagnosis of hypertension, being on antihypertensive medication, frequent alcohol intake, and being overweight and obese. The MMM 2018 campaign in Albania had a unique value for early detection of hypertension, particularly among younger adults. Policymakers and decision-makers in Albania and elsewhere should also rely on the MMM screening campaigns which have a great potential for prevention and control of hypertension in the general population.

Relationship of Anthropometric Indicators of General and Abdominal Obesity with Hypertension and Their Predictive Performance among Albanians: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

“…On average, the hypertensives had a BMI of 28.84 kg/m 2 and the normotensives had 25.50 kg/m 2 in this study, suggesting a population level shift that could drive obesity-related HTN and associated mortality in the transitioning, upper-middle-income context of Albania [54]. However, HTN awareness and control are suboptimal in Albania [14]. Based on our findings, anthropometric indicators, particularly BMI and WHtR, could be promising in identifying Albanians with heightened risk of HTN.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, HTN screening performance of these indicators has not been examined in a nationally representative sample from Albania. This is a critical research gap considering the burden of HTN, suboptimal BP control and lack of awareness in Albania [14]. Our objectives were three-fold: to explore the relationship of BMI, WHtR, WC and CI with HTN among Albanians, to examine the performance of these indicators in predicting HTN from analysis of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and to determine their optimal cut-offs for predicting the likelihood of HTN.…”

May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Albania

“…The ethical clearance for the MMM campaigns in Albania was provided by the Scientific Council of the National Institute of Public Health since November 2017. 4 …”

“…Based on successful experiences from previous years, all messages emphasized the importance of blood pressure (BP) screening and the unique opportunity to participate in the MMM campaign. 4 The screening was carried out during the period 1–31 May 2019.…”

“…Albania became part of the May Measurement Month (MMM) initiative for the first time in 2017 and subsequently participated in the 2018 campaign. According to the findings of the MMM campaign conducted in 2018, 4 the prevalence of hypertension among survey participants was about 37% of whom, only about half exhibited awareness (52%). Also, only a quarter of hypertensive participants were appropriately treated and controlled.…”