Pop-up screening for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk held at community pharmacies and large-scale sporting events can identify people with uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors, and risk factors were prevalent during opportunistic pop-up community screenings, according to a study presented Aug. 15 at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand and simultaneously published in JACC.

Sean Tan, MBBS, et al., conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of pop-up screenings at community pharmacies and an international cricket game to determine the number of participants who had uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors. Health stations were placed in 311 community pharmacies across Australia and a stadium and recorded demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, medical history and engagement with health care. The health stations screened a total of 76,085 participants – 68,345 (90%) participants at pharmacies and 7,740 (10%) at the sporting event. Of included participants, 34,430 (45%) were aged ≥45 years and 53% were male.

Results showed that 52,453 (69%) participants met the primary outcome – having at least one uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factor: elevated blood pressure (BP) reading, overweight or obese, or active smoker – as 37% had elevated BP readings, 61% had elevated body mass index (BMI) and 12% were smokers. There were higher rates of having at least one uncontrolled risk factor found among those screened at the cricket game vs. pharmacies. Participants who were screened at the sporting event had higher rates of elevated BP and BMI, but lower rates of smoking compared to those at pharmacies. Additionally, about half of those with elevated BP readings had not had a BP check in the past year and over 80% were not on any antihypertensive medication.

"Pop-up screening approach for ASCVD risk assessment nested within a sporting event and community pharmacies identified a high prevalence of uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors," the authors write. "...Future studies using an opportunistic pop-up approach to ASCVD risk screening should be assessed within other community events to target under-represented and at-risk populations due to sociodemographic disparities."

"Ultimately, efforts like the pop-up screening model described by Tan and colleagues should serve as a catalyst for developing population health interventions that are not only acceptable and scalable, but also create a continuous arc from detection to immediate treatment for sustained risk factor control," write Adam N. Berman, MD, MPH, FACC, et al., in an accompanying editorial comment. "...To counter these trends, future strategies must ensure that innovative screening does not stop at identification but also activates evidence-based, accessible pathways to treatment and follow-up."