Effects of Noise and Public Setting on Blood Pressure Readings : A Randomized Crossover Trial
Authors' conclusion
The BP readings obtained in public spaces were minimally different from BPs obtained in a private office, suggesting that public spaces are reasonable settings to screen for hypertension.
Study context
- Population
- Community-dwelling adults from the Baltimore, Maryland, area recruited through measurement-screening campaigns, mailings to previous study participants, and referrals from hypertension clinics
- Participants
- 108 randomly assigned participants
- Comparison
- Differences in mean blood pressure (BP) readings obtained in public loud and public quiet versus private quiet
Methodological detailssingle-center
- Single-center
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Average noise level
Further findings
Mean, mm Hg
| Outcome | Private quiet | Public loud | Public quiet | Estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean SBPPublic loudvs private quietMinimal, non-clinically important differences | 128.9 (SD 22.3) | 128.3 (SD 21.7) | 129.0 (SD 22.2) | ΔSBP −0.66 mm Hg (95% CI −2.25 to 0.93) | |
| Mean SBPPublic quietvs private quietMinimal, non-clinically important differences | ΔSBP 0.09 mm Hg (95% CI −1.53 to 1.72) | ||||
| Mean DBPPublic loudvs private quietMinimal, non-clinically important differences | 74.2 (SD 11.4) | 75.9 (SD 11.6) | 75.7 (SD 12.0) | ΔDBP 1.65 mm Hg (CI 0.77–2.54) | |
| Mean DBPPublic quietvs private quietMinimal, non-clinically important differences | ΔDBP 1.45 mm Hg (CI 0.64–2.27) | ||||
| −4−2024Difference, mm Hg (linear scale) |
Baseline characteristics
- Mean age
- 56 years (SD, 17)
- Self-reported Black
- 84%
- Female
- 41%
- Systolic BP (SBP) of 130 mm Hg or more
- 45%
Subgroups by baseline SBP, age, and recent health care utilization
- The patterns were generally consistent across subgroups
Original publication
Effects of Noise and Public Setting on Blood Pressure Readings : A Randomized Crossover Trial. Ann Intern Med. Published 28 January 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →