Abstract
The May Measurement Month (MMM) campaign was carried out in Paraguay in 2022 with the aim of raising awareness in the population of increased blood pressure (BP). Adults aged ≥18 years were recruited opportunistically in the country. Three BP readings were taken for each participant, along with completion of a questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mmHg or being treated with antihypertensive medication. Controlled BP was defined as being on antihypertensive medication with a BP < 140/90 mmHg. Multiple imputation was used to estimate any missing BP readings. In total, 10 475 adults were screened, with a mean age of 48.6 years, and 62.0% were female. Most (57.3%) of the participants were screened in health service settings. Of all participants, 6049 (57.7%) had hypertension, 4367 (72.2%) were aware, 4246 (70.2%) were on antihypertensive medication, of whom 1686 (39.7%) had controlled BP, and of all participants with hypertension 27.9% had controlled BP. Hypertension was more common in male than in female participants (60.1 vs. 56.3%), and male hypertensive participants were less often controlled (21.5 vs. 32.0%). In conclusion, this campaign identified significant numbers of participants with hypertension and a great number on treatment who did not have controlled BP.