The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Control Hypertension

Overview

Nearly half of the adults in the United States have hypertension (high blood pressure), and only about 1 in 4 of those people have their hypertension under control. Hypertension is a major preventable risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Control Hypertension seeks to avert the negative health effects of hypertension by identifying evidence-based interventions that can be implemented, adapted, and expanded in diverse settings across the United States.

The Call to Action outlines three goals to improve hypertension control. Each goal is supported by strategies to achieve success:

• Goal 1. Make hypertension control a national priority.
• Goal 2. Ensure that the places where people live, learn, work, and play support hypertension control.
• Goal 3. Optimize patient care for hypertension.

The Call to Action also:

• Recognizes the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age directly affect opportunities for success and drive health equity.
• Focuses on specific and tangible interventions that can be tailored, replicated, and scaled to affect one of the highest burden health conditions in the United States.
• Provides targeted strategies that different sectors can take to collectively improve hypertension control across the United States.

Learn more about federal efforts to make hypertension control a priority from the Federal Hypertension Leadership Council.