2006 Ontario Survey on the Prevalence and Control of Hypertension (ON-BP): Rationale and design of a community-based cross-sectional survey

Background The presently available Canadian data, based on direct measurements of blood pressure (BP) from the Canadian Heart Health Surveys, are more than 15 years old. In view of major changes in the demographics and health status of the Ontario population, there is an urgent need to update this information. On the initiative of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, jointly with Statistics Canada, designed and implemented a population-based cross-sectional survey of hypertension in the Province of Ontario: the 2006 Ontario Survey on the Prevalence and Control of Hypertension (ON-BP). Objectives To establish the prevalence of hypertension in the Ontario adult population between the ages of 20 and 79 years; to assess the awareness, current status and management of hypertension; and to gather respondent information about sex, age, physical measurements, personal health practices, socioeconomic measures, ethnicity and comorbidities. Methods The present paper describes the background history and the successive steps undertaken during the implementation of this project. Conclusions The authors' experiences from the ON-BP indicate that close co-operation between research scientists, statisticians, governmental and nongovernmental organizations – in the present case, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario – is essential to conduct a successful, large-scale survey of BP distribution.