Campaign to increase hypertension awareness in Nigeria making an impact with the help of volunteers trained by the ISH
Hundreds of people in Nigeria were screened for high blood pressure between May and August 2023 as part of a campaign which is being delivered with the help of volunteers trained by the ISH.
The Know Your Numbers Campaign (KYN) – kicked off by the Nigerian Cardiac Society in Abuja on 17th May 2023, World Hypertension Day – is working to increase awareness of blood pressure measurement among communities across Nigeria, and to reduce the prevalence of hypertension in the country.
Students who had been part of the Hypertension School for Non-Physician Health Workers, delivered by the ISH Africa Regional Advisory Group, are part of the two-year KYN campaign as ambassadors. In this way their educational training is helping them to make a real difference ‘on the ground’.
The KYN campaign, which is still in its first quarter of implementation, and which is sponsored by OMRON, has seen KYN ambassadors trained on how to measure blood pressure, with around 200 blood pressure monitors provided.
These ambassadors have been raising awareness of hypertension and measuring blood pressure in public places like markets, traditional palaces, shopping malls, local communities, religious centres, and airports.
As of August 2023, reports from KYN ambassadors showed that the rate of BP screening in the North Central, South-South, and South-East zones of Nigeria stand at 132, 105, and 383 people respectively.
According to the President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, Prof. Augustine Odili, who is Chair of the ISH Africa RAG, in two years, the campaign will have trained 1000 KYN ambassadors, provided 1000 BP monitors for the purpose of BP measurement during the campaign, and ensured proper linkage of diagnosed hypertensive patients with health care facilities.
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