"WATCH OUT FOR YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE!" CAMPAIGN IS A REMINDER FOR CRITICAL ROLE OF PUBLIC INFORMING CAMPAIGNS IN HYPERTENSION AWARENESS. (April 2021) - Tavassoli, Elham
Abstract : Objective: Our Campaign held in Tehran, Iran dedicated to raising awareness on hypertension through emphasizing the importance of blood pressure measurement. 1 month long campaign – starting on 17th April and ending on 17th May 2018 – comprised of three phases. Design and method: For the first phase which went on for 7 days (coincide with national health week in Iran) we turned to the social media as a powerful asset for bringing attention to hypertension. On each day we covered a separate topic on blood pressure, which are respectively about: Universal health coverage and hypertension, What is hypertension and what are its signs and symptoms, Hypertension and diet (with a especial focus on salt intake), Obesity and high blood pressure, high blood pressure and physical activity, Smoking and high blood pressure, and finally Monitoring and treatment in hypertension. Our second phase is a 14 day journey (marking the 14th anniversary of WHD) where, on each day we would present them with a new fact about high blood pressure. Moving on to the third phase of the campaign which included our 5 day physical presence, our teams dressed in uniforms were stationed at 5 of the most busiest locations around Tehran. We dedicated the last day of our campaign to screening blood pressures at the food court the blood pressure of 45 people along with their details (including age, gender, history of cigarette, height, weight, etc.) were collected with each person receiving a campaign pack. Results: In cases of high or near high blood pressure our experts would intervene with giving advice on what cautionary measures they should take and how they should proceed about their blood pressure from there. Conclusions: We hope through our campaign we have been able to contribute to raising awareness on hypertension and its global health impact.