Decrease of blood pressure by community-based strategies.

In a cross section study performed in Rauch in 1997 we found a high prevalence of hypertension and low levels of treatment and control. To evaluate the impact of the community-based intervention activities on blood pressure (BP), we made a cohort study in 1526 inhabitants aged between 15 and 75 years in 2003. The initial study, the advice to consult the family doctor when alterations were found, the free provision of antihypertensive drugs, the press diffusion of the study results and a healthy lifestyle were included among the intervention activities. BP was measured in the subjects residence by especially trained nurses, considering systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) as the average of three measurements in one occasion. A total of 1307 subjects (85.65

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) were re-interviewed. SBP decreased from 137.98 +/- 0.57 to 132.49 +/- 0.53 mm Hg (p < 0.01) and DBP from 88.73 +/- 0.38 to 81.87 +/- 0.33 mm Hg (p < 0.01). Pressure decrease was observed in all the age groups, in both sexes and in the subgroup without receiving antihypertensive drugs. The percentage with antihypertensive drugs increased from 12.2 to 20.4 (p < 0.01). A significant relationship was observed between the percentiles of the BP changes and weight changes in subjects with and without antihypertensive drugs. Community-based intervention strategies were effective to BP control and, probably, to decrease the cardiovascular risk in a community with high prevalence of hypertension.