Know Your Numbers! Week reaches out to risk-takers
With a theme of Know Your Numbers, Know Your Risks, thousands of health professionals armed themselves with blood pressure monitors to test the nation’s blood pressure for our annual awareness-raising event.
For Know Your Numbers! Week 2016, we asked: Are you a risk taker? You are if you don’t Know Your Numbers! We encouraged people to go and get their blood pressure checked from September 12-18 either at one of our Pressure Stations, via a community pharmacy or practice nurse, or at home using a home monitor.
High blood pressure has no symptoms so the only way to know if you are at risk from a stroke or heart disease is to have a blood pressure check. We wanted people not to take unnecessary risks, but rather think about their health and their blood pressure –which might just save your life.
Pressure stations provided free blood pressure checks and advice
Hundreds of people listened and went along to our Pressure Stations across the country, receiving both a blood pressure check and advice about how to keep their numbers healthy. With Pressure Stations at The Royal Opera House, the Port of London Authority, hospitals, universities and pharmacies, it was one of our most successful Know Your Numbers! Weeks ever.
Thousands of health professionals armed themselves with blood pressure monitors to test the nation’s blood pressure. MPs across the UK had their blood pressure tested, and the London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, wished us “every success with raising awareness of this important campaign.”
The campaign gains national media coverage
The week kicked off with our CEO, Katharine Jenner talking about the campaign on BBC Radio Leicester, BBC Radio West Midlands and Sky radio. The latter resulted in national radio coverage including Classic FM, Absolute Radio, Capital, Heart, Magic, LBC, Smooth and talkSPORT, helping to inform the nation how vital it is to get a free blood pressure check.
National press coverage included The Mail, The Sun, Metro and The Mirror, and an in-depth story in The Mail Online, and there were dozens of stories on local radio, online and in the local press. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported and talked about the campaign.
Get in touch if the campaign led you to be diagnosed with high blood pressure
Without your support, Know Your Numbers! Week would not be such a great success. The fight against high blood pressure doesn’t stop just because Know Your Numbers! Week has ended. We are always pushing to keep high blood pressure in the news by offering interesting stories of people who discovered their hidden condition.
If you had your blood pressure tested during the week and went on to be diagnosed with high blood pressure from your GP, or you know someone who has, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at kyn@bloodpressureuk.org
Find out more
We will soon have a nationwide breakdown of blood pressures in UK regions and hotspots where readings are especially high. We’ll publish a full report on this year’s event in our winter edition of Positive Pressure magazine.