LITERURE REVIEW
The literature is rich in not identifying hypertension as a major antecedent to morbidity and mortality but also supporting that nearly one in three Americans with hypertension is unaware of his or her health condition (NIHNHLBI, 2004). Evidence supports that awareness of hypertension is critical to the effective management and treatment of adverse consequences related to hypertension (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2005; Swischuk, 2000). Furthermore, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPTE, 2007) has affirmed blood pressure [BP] screening for adults 18 years of age or older as a Class A Recommendation due to the high certainty that the benefits of screening are substantial. Class A Recommendation, per the USPTF, are interventions that yield a high certainty of substantial net benefit.
Community – based health fair are supported by the literature as excellent venues for screening individuals while targeting specific populations at risk for disease. From obesity to inflammatory arthritis, community – based health fairs have been used over the last 20 years as instruments for disease screening. The literature also supports that screening and identifying disease at health fairs improves the likelihood that those with positive findings will seek follow – up evaluation and care
The review of the literature, however, highlights gaps in the widespread use of health fairs in identifying hypertension even though there is ample literature providing information and frame works to organize, implement, and evaluate community – based health fairs. Despite the presence of this information. As the fact that literature supporting community health fairs in identifying mass populations for hypertension dates back to the mid – 1970s there are chasms in terms of identifying health fairs as a frequently used mechanism by which to provide mass blood pressures screening throughout the country.