May Measurement Month

May Measurement Month (MMM), the global campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) to raise awareness of the need for people to get their blood pressure (BP) checked, will be back in 2021. MMM builds on the WHL’s established World Hypertension Day — held on 17 May each year - with volunteer health professionals offering free BP measurement at local screening sites across the world. 

After three successful years, over 4.2 million people screened in almost 100 countries, and almost 1 million people identified with untreated or inadequately treated hypertension, MMM was naturally forced to pause in 2020, but is returning in 2021.

89 countries have signed up to participate in MMM this year, but the timing of screening and submitting results has been extended to run at any time between May to November to support the numerous and varying restrictions on access for participants due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. For these countries or sites where the usual MMM screening programme is not possible, even in the extended screening period, we are working with Omron and others, to identify possible alternative ways of BP screening using home BP monitoring. 

The new campaign to promote MMM, Sleeves Up, Risk Down, encourages participants to ‘roll their sleeves up’ and help to tackle the issue and awareness around hypertension, and the 10.8 million deaths due to raised BP that could be prevented each year. It is a positive message of a small action leading to significant change, using the symbol of a rolled-up sleeve as an easy to identify, international symbol of ‘getting to work’.

It is important to remember that even with increased threats to public health due to COVID over the last year, raised BP remains the biggest single contributing risk factor to global death causing about 30,000 deaths per day.  It is therefore important that MMM continues to increase public understanding of the importance of BP measurement, and helps to save lives that need not be lost.

Professor Neil Poulter, Former ISH President (2016 -2018), and Chief Investigator of MMM, stated:

“Even with increased threats to public health this last year, raised blood pressure remains the biggest single contributing risk factor for global death and the worldwide burden of disease. We want May Measurement Month to increase public understanding, and help save lives that need not be lost ”

This year Resolve to Save Lives will be working closely with the MMM team in a number of countries to help deliver a linkage to care for participants newly identified as being hypertensive. 

For full details regarding the campaign and how you could get involved please visit www.maymeasure.org

Join over a million people in the crusade and roll your sleeves up!