The British happier to change lifestyle to combat high blood pressure than Japanese, but less than Americans.

The British happier to change lifestyle to combat high blood pressure than Japanese, but less than Americans.

The OMRON Healthcare study that coincides with World Hypertension Day also reveals that people who actively manage their high blood pressure have a higher mental quality of life (QoL)1 than the general population.

LONDON, UK. A higher proportion of people affected by high blood pressure from Germany and Spain are taking proactive steps to deal with their condition than UK nationals. While in the first two countries 78% and 72% of the hypertensive population respectively are more likely to self-manage and change their behavior in response to their condition, in UK only 69% of people living with high blood pressure are willing to do so1. People with hypertension in Italy and France, however, were the least likely to change their lifestyles to combat high blood pressure (67% and 59% of the hypertensive population, respectively)1 .

The results come from a study into the motivations driving people’s attitudes towards blood pressure monitoring, commissioned by OMRON Healthcare and carried out by Kantar. The study also unearthed major differences in how populations from different continents respond to high blood pressure. Close to ¾ of adults in EU2 and US affected by hypertension are very activated whereas in Japan about 2/3 are very activated1. The percentage of people in the US who are affected by hypertension and who are very health conscious at the same time is 76%, the highest amongst the three compared regions1.

However, while people are focused on their health, they still need to take more time for their hearts developing healthy habits if they want to prevent the onset of severe hypertension: the study shows that only 20% of the people who have been diagnosed with hypertension in Europe are taking blood pressure measurements every month, 26% are doing so weekly and only 11% do it on a daily basis1 . Regular home monitoring brings benefits – it is often more relaxed than in the doctor’s office, it improves engagement in the treatment and enables day-to-day assessment of blood pressure variability3 to help avoid white-coat effect (your blood pressure is higher when it is taken in a medical setting than it is when taken at home)4 .

Positive impact on mental well-being

One of the most significant findings from the research is that those with the most serious diagnosis who at the same time pursue a healthy lifestyle experience better mental QoL (a parameter that takes into account several factors such as vitality, social functioning, role emotional and mental health) than younger, healthier people. The mental QoL score of those severely affected and very health-conscious (53% of whom are older than 65) averages 48.7, whereas those who are younger and less affected (51% of them are between 18-49) have a mental QoL score average of 42.31. The group that is diagnosed with more serious hypertension and very health conscious scores even higher than the general population, which only scores 46.6 for mental QoL average5 . This makes a compelling case for taking regular blood pressure measurements, being diagnosed early and taking steps to improve your own cardiovascular health.

According to Lucía Prada, Marketing Director of OMRON Healthcare Europe, these findings “confirm our belief that by equipping the public with home-use or on-the-go clinically validated blood pressure monitors, we are helping people to be in control of their own condition. Not only can they take early steps to lead healthier and more active lives, but also reduce the degree of uncertainty related to their conditions, all of which has a positive impact on their overall well-being”.

OMRON Healthcare supports May Measurement Month (MMM)

The study coincides with World Hypertension Day in the context of the third annual MMM, the largest global synchronised public blood pressure screening programme ever6 . In the last two years, MMM volunteers across 85 countries have taken blood pressure readings from 2.7 million people, identifying over half a million people with uncontrolled hypertension. OMRON Healthcare has donated 20,000 clinically-validated digital blood pressure monitors to the cause to help raise global awareness of high blood pressure.

“People live increasingly busier lives and it can be easy to forget to put your heart health first at times. As the number one contributing risk factor for global death, there should be no greater priority than monitoring your blood pressure and MMM is an excellent opportunity to start doing so. For this reason, at OMRON we continue to bring to life devices which fit seamlessly in people’s daily lives and simplify their blood pressure monitoring routines. By taking time each day to do this, people can reduce the impact Hypertension has on their lives”. André Van Gils, CEO and President of OMRON Healthcare Europe.

Methodology

Through Kantar, OMRON carried out a quantitative research study, with UK (n=15,000), Italy (n=10,000), France (n=15,000) Germany (n=15,000) and Spain (n=7000) as the primary focus (sample sizes between brackets). The results come from the National Health and Wellness Survey conducted by Kantar, the largest healthcare database of projectable, self-reported, “real world” patient level information, which covers over 200 therapeutic conditions and collectively three million online respondents. The sample was stratified by gender and age to align with national estimates and results were post-stratified weighted and projected to the total adult population, based on data referenced from the International Data Base of the U.S. Census Bureau and OECD.
In order to analyze how engaged people are when it comes to managing their own conditions, participants were classified following the Patient Activation Measure (PAM)2, where higher scores represent higher levels of health-consciousness.
Physical and mental QoL scores were calculated using the publicly recognized SF-12v2 scale2.

About MMM

MMM is the largest synchronized public blood pressure screening programme the world has ever seen. It is made possible by the generous support of volunteers in around 100 countries. In 2017 it was the largest national screening programme in at least 34 of those countries. MMM is led by the International Society of Hypertension and is endorsed by the World Hypertension League.

www.maymeasure.com

About OMRON Healthcare Europe

Committed to helping people live more active and fulfilling lives with zero compromise, OMRON Healthcare is a global leader in the field of clinically proven, innovative medical equipment for health monitoring and therapy.

Throughout its 85-year history OMRON Healthcare has been striving to improve lives and contribute to a better society by developing innovations that help people prevent, treat and manage their medical conditions, both at home and in clinical practice in over 117 countries.

OMRON Healthcare is the Global No.1 brand in both blood pressure monitors, with over 200 million units sold, as well as nebulisers for respiratory treatment with over 30 million devices sold. The company’s additional core product categories are low-frequency pain therapy equipment, body composition monitors and electronic thermometers.

OMRON Healthcare Group is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. OMRON Healthcare Europe B.V. is the healthcare division for Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa and provides services to customers in more than 74 countries.

Footnotes:

1. KANTAR. PACER (Patient Centered Research) Platform Hypertension Analysis For OMRON. March 2019.
2. Average of surveyed countries: UK, Spain, France, Italy, Germany.
3. ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. 2018.
4. http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Medicaltests/Whitecoateffect
5. [Note: mental quality of life can be influenced by a variety of factors. Further analyses are needed to control for confounding factors].
6. Retrieved from maymeasure.com