Blood pressure surveys: are they worth it?

A review of hypertension surveys indicates that geographic (door-to-door) surveys provide the best description of the problem in a community. Participation rates in shopping centre surveys have been low (four percent in Edmonton and eight percent in Hamilton) but amongst those found hypertensive, 65-78 percent are aware of their hypertension; of these 62-65 percent are already on therapy. Among those participating in such shopping centre surveys, the proportion of subjects taking antihypertensive medications increased from approximately six percent to approximately eight percent from three to six months after the survey. Possible indirect benefits and disadvantages of such surveys are discussed.