![]() Part of the reason for this overconfidence begins in the doctor’s office. After all, if you think it’s normal, why bother talking to your doctor about your blood pressure? ![]() Such false confidence can be harmful because it may prevent people from seeking care for high blood pressure. In our new study, published in January 2023, we found that 64% expressed confidence in their understanding of blood pressure numbers – but only 39% actually knew what normal or healthy blood pressure is. They were recruited through the Understanding America Study, a nationally representative sample of U.S. Together with our health communication collaborators, we surveyed more than 6,500 Americans about their knowledge of blood pressure. We are a health communications expert and a cardiologist. Our research has found that most Americans don’t know the normal or healthy range for blood pressure – yet strikingly, they think they do. And even if your numbers are normal right now, they are likely to increase as you age more than three-quarters of Americans age 65 and older have high blood pressure.Īlso known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Stunning as it may sound, nearly half of Americans ages 20 years and up – or more than 122 million people – have high blood pressure, according to a 2023 report from the American Heart Association. Editor’s note: This blog was first published by The Conversation on February 17, 2022
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