Although self-reported hypertension diagnoses and blood pressure (BP) readings from health kiosks in retail stores tend to be higher than those obtained from national surveys, self-service kiosks can supplement efforts to reduce the burden of hypertension on a national level, especially among under-represented populations, according to a large cross-sectional analysis published Aug. 6 in JAMA Cardiology.

Thomas W. Hsiao, PhD, et al., examined BP information obtained from kiosks housed in Walmart and CVS stores throughout all U.S. states (excluding Massachusetts) and Washington, DC, between 2017 and 2024. Among the 1,270,485 adult users (mean age, 42 years; 48% women), 17% lived in rural areas. Self-reported racial/ethnic groups included 7% Asian, 18% Black, 27% Hispanic and 42% White.

Results showed that approximately half of adults using kiosks had high BP, defined as a self-reported hypertension diagnosis, systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg. Notably, across all time periods, the highest BP prevalence was observed among Black participants, those aged ≥65 years and adults living in rural areas.

Findings also revealed that 35% of participants self-reported a hypertension diagnosis in 2017-2018 and 36% in 2023-2024. Among those, 32% had systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg in 2017-2018 and 28% in 2023-2024. In addition, high BP was more common in the kiosk sample than in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, but similar to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.

The authors conclude that "health kiosks do not provide nationally representative estimates of hypertension prevalence. However, they can complement national surveys in the U.S., for which response rates are declining." They add that moving forward, "self-service kiosks can augment current efforts for monitoring policies aimed at mitigating the hypertension burden, especially among populations historically underrepresented in surveys."

In an accompanying editorial comment, Sadiya S. Khan, MD, MSc, FACC, et al., write that "retail store BP kiosks represent a promising and underused tool to improve hypertension awareness, monitoring, and management on a national scale," and a tool that "may be integrated into care delivery pathways to improve hypertension care."