Possible link found between hypertension cases and "unhealthy" malls

A new study using Pop-Up health checkpoints revealed a possible link between "unhealthy" shopping malls and the number of cases of suspected or diagnosed hypertension among people who volunteered for checks .

Researchers from City, University of London set up day-to-day Pop-Up medical checkpoints at seven shopping malls in England and invited pbadersby to test for signs of eye disease. glaucoma. The trials were led by university optometrist Laura Edwards.

Blood pressure readings were also offered 50% of the time to attract potential volunteers with a more complete and familiar health screening.

It is well known that persistent high blood pressure can increase the risk of developing a number of serious or even life-threatening conditions, such as a heart attack or stroke.

The research team clbadified shopping outlets as "unhealthy" if it were a fast food, a bookmaker, a tanning salon or a business. payday loan, according to the report of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH), clbadified in the United Kingdom. urban and urban shopping centers based on their "unhealthy" and "healthy" outlets.

The researchers also established a baseline score of the "unhealthiness" of each mall, which is the proportion of "unhealthy" outlets open on the day of the test compared to the total number of outlets open in the mall. .

The Pop-Up health checkpoints were installed in four shopping malls among the 10 most unhealthy centers in the RSPH rankings and three of the 15 "healthiest" shopping centers in the ranking.

During the badysis, the researchers found a link between the number of adult volunteers who suspected or diagnosed high blood pressure (repeated blood pressure readings equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg) and the "unhealthy" score. They had developed for each shopping center, which was a statistically significant result.

They also found that in the three "healthy" shopping malls sampled in the RSPH report rankings (Bristol, Cambridge and Nottingham), 20 out of 152 (13.1%) adults were reported as having high blood pressure readings. repeated.

In the four "unhealthy" shopping malls sampled (Coventry, Preston, Northampton, Stoke-on-Trent), 45 out of 199 adults (22.6%) had hypertension readings.

The difference between the proportion of arterial hypertension readings in "healthy" and "unhealthy" malls was also a statistically significant result, resulting in an increased probability of 72% that cases of suspected or diagnosed hypertension report shopping center in relation to a "healthy" shopping center.

The study has its limitations, including the evaluation of Pop-Up health monitoring stations that do not allow for a definitive diagnosis of hypertension. According to a report from RSPH, the unsanitary score of outlets in shopping malls used is a surrogate marker of the "wholesomeness" of the shopping area and has not been validated by D & D. Other studies.

The findings could indicate targeted screening and blood pressure screening strategies in shopping centers that could be investigated in depth, potentially in the context of reducing health inequities.

The study is published in the journal BMC Public Health.

David Crabb, professor of statistics and vision research at City, University of London and head of the research team, said:

"Less than half of adults between the ages of 40 and 74 were offered the NHS Health Check at no cost, and the British Heart Foundation recently called on NHS health staff to conduct blood pressure checks in gyms. , hair salons and football stadiums, as well as We know that it takes more effective ways to screen for high blood pressure in people and this study offers insight into some ways to do it.

"In our study, more than half of those registered as having high blood pressure were aware of their condition or had a history of hypertension.It may be that the differences between" healthy "and" healthy "malls can be attributed to the differences in the detection of high blood pressure, the management of high blood pressure or a combination of both, both of which are of considerable importance for public health, and their relation to the socio-economic status. should be studied further. "

Shirley Cramer CBE, Executive Director of the Royal Society of Public Health, said:

"Our research in the UK's main streets has shown how unhealthy businesses are concentrating in areas where life expectancy is already shorter.This new and interesting research explores in detail one of the most Many factors are at play in this alarming trend: The healthiest shopping centers visited by the Health Checkpoints are in some of the most socially disadvantaged areas of the country, and the results of this study illustrate the serious inequalities in health that are rooted across the UK: Exposing and eradicating these health inequities is a public health priority – to welcome all the promising opportunities to do so ".

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City University London