High blood pressure: everyone has a role

The prevention and control of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, requires political will on the part of governments and policy-makers along with the efforts of health workers, the academic research community, civil society, the private sector and families and individuals. Everyone has a role to play.

Governments and policy-makers

• Implement public health policies and interventions that are affordable, sustainable and cost-effective.
• Integrate hypertension control programmes that address total cardiovascular risk as an integral part of national strategies for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.
• Set up a surveillance and monitoring system to track the prevalence of hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases.
• Ensure equitable access to preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services.
• Promote actions at the primary health care level that target prevention and health promotion.
• Ensure the availability of essential medicines for the control of hypertension.
• Strengthen all components of the health system: governance, financing, information, human resources, service delivery and access to quality generic medicines and basic technologies.
• Mobilize population-wide approaches to reduce the exposure of the whole population to risk factors such as unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and tobacco use.

Health workers

• Raise awareness on hypertension among different population groups through blood pressure measurement campaigns and health education programmes in the workplace.
• Follow WHO guidelines and tools to manage hypertension cost-effectively in primary health care settings.
• Follow WHO guidance on the appropriate use of medicines in an affordable and sustainable manner.

Academia and professional associations

• Build the capacity of primary health care physicians and non-physician health workers in the detection and management of hypertension.
• Institutionalize training on the detection and management of hypertension within the educational curricula for physicians, nurses and allied health workers.
• Generate and disseminate scientific evidence to inform implementation of appropriate cost-effective measures for prevention and control of hypertension.

Civil societies and nongovernmental organizations

• Partner with academia to build both workforce capacity and the skills of individuals, families and communities.
• Advocate with policy-makers about the influence of living conditions and behaviour on blood pressure levels.
• Mobilize political and social awareness to address hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases.
• Provide prevention and health care services that fill gaps in the public and private sectors.
• Improve access to parks and playgrounds and create safe neighbourhoods for physical activity.

The private sector, excluding the tobacco industry

• Practice and ensure responsible marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages, particularly to children.
• Ensure correct labelling of food products to enable consumers to make healthy choices.
• Contribute to the development of cutting-edge health technologies and applications for the detection of high blood pressure.
• Promote workplace-based wellness programmes by establishing tobacco-free workplaces, implementing occupational health and safety measures and health insurance plans and creating environments for walking, cycling, sports and other physical activities.
• Work towards making essential medicines more affordable and accessible.

Individuals

• Have your blood pressure checked regularly. High blood pressure has no symptoms in most people.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle (eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, stop smoking).
• If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, participate actively in managing the condition.
• Adopt healthy behaviours
• Monitor blood pressure regularly
• Check blood sugar, blood cholesterol and urine albumin
• Check cardiovascular risk using a risk assessment tool
• Follow medical advice and comply with medication.

World Health Organization

• Provide evidence-based guidance and implementation tools to assist countries in addressing hypertension through a combination of interventions focused on individuals and the whole population.
• Coordinate the development of a global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases and a global monitoring framework.
• Monitor the impact of action to address hypertension and other noncommunicable diseases.