Preventing high blood pressure among Latinos in the United States should be a public health priority because this condition contributes to disproportionate rates of premature deaths among minority groups. There are several risk factors for high blood pressure. Some of these factors cannot be changed – age, race, family history. Others, however, are modifiable – smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and dietary choices. Mass media campaigns have historically been used to address modifiable risk factors for high blood pressure, and a review of these campaigns found that while short-term changes were observed, they were hard to maintain. There were also concerns that underserved populations – such as Latinos – had little exposure to these campaigns. Continue reading →