Hypertension surveys in the developing world. Lessons from the Egyptian National Hypertension Project (NHP)

Abstract

Accurate national estimates of the prevalence of hypertension in developing countries are lacking. Inadequate funds, inexperience and lack of infrastructure are also important barriers to hypertension research. The aim of this review is to help investigators from the developing countries, with limited resources, to design and conduct national hypertension surveys. The information is mostly based on the experience gained during the Egyptian National Hypertension Project (NHP) which can serve as a model for similar surveys elsewhere. The review addresses a number of important questions: (1) Why conduct a national hypertension survey in a developing country; (2) What kind of data are needed; (3) Where to start and how to raise funds; (4) Who will carry out the survey; (5) How to design your sample and where to survey; (6) How to organize and perform field operations; (7) How to collect accurate data and do quality control measures; and (8) How to handle the data?