Blood pressure measurement in the United Kingdom Heart Disease Prevention Project.
A blood pressure measurement was part of a cardiovascular screening examination of 8397 middle-aged men taking part in the intervention section of the United Kingdom Heart Disease Prevention Project. Standardised training techniques reduced observer bias to acceptable limits in four out of a total of five observers. The time of day and room temperature both made significant differences to the blood pressure measurement. High room temperatures in particular apparently had a marked effect in reducing the level of blood pressure. There were consistent and large positive associations with increasing age and overweight. The survey revealed a poor degree of blood pressure control in the community at the time of screening--only 7% of the "hypertensive" population had their diastolic pressure controlled to below 100 mm Hg.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom