Blood pressure point

06 May 2009

The Rotary Club of Garston, along with the help of student mentors from the Faculty of Health and Applied Social Sciences LJMU, gave people the opportunity to have their blood pressure checked - on their visit to the supermarket.

The Nursing students with the assistance of Rotary Club members were on hand to check the well-being of shoppers at the Hunts Cross branch of ASDA as part of a national campaign run in partnership with The Stroke Association to help people better understand the relation between high blood pressure (hypertension) and stroke.

It is estimated that 40% of the 150,000 strokes suffered by people in the UK each year could be prevented. Although many are aware of the logic in having their blood pressure monitored, it is often put off or simply overlooked.

Homaira Khan from The Stroke Association commented: “Rotary recognises that one of the biggest challenges is to help people understand that strokes don't just happen to other people. They can happen to anyone, at any age and the biggest single risk is high blood pressure.”

Frances Colbron, Head of the Student Mentoring Service at LJMU, commented: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to work with the Rotarians on a worthwhile community project. The students were able to perform the skills they learnt and promote health awareness.”