Taking blood pressure in public or noisy settings does not affect reading, suggests study

A randomized crossover trial found minimal difference between blood pressure (BP) readings obtained in public spaces versus those taken in private offices. These findings suggest that public spaces can be an acceptable setting for BP screenings, despite prior clinical guideline recommendations advising quiet settings for BP measurement. The results are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University randomly assigned 108 adults in Baltimore, MD to the order in which they had triplicate BP measurements in each of 3 settings: 1) private quiet office (private quiet [reference]); 2) noisy public space (public loud); and 3) noisy public space plus earplugs (public quiet) to evaluate the effect of noise and public environment on BP readings. The primary outcomes were differences between the mean BPs obtained in each public setting with those obtained in the private setting. The average noise level in the private quiet setting was 37 decibels (dB) and the average noise level in the public setting was 74 dB. In the private quiet setting, the average systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were 128.9 and 74.2 mm Hg, respectively. In the public loud setting, the mean SBP and DBP were 128.3 and 75.9 mm Hg and in the public quiet setting, the mean SBP and DPB were 129.0 and 75.7 mm Hg.

The results indicate that the differences in BP readings in public, loud spaces versus the clinically recommended setting of a private office are small and not clinically significant. The researchers say these results support the implementation of mass hypertension-screening programs in settings including supermarkets, places of worship and schools.   

Reference:

Junichi Ishigami, Hairong Liu, Di Zhao, et al. Effects of Noise and Public Setting on Blood Pressure Readings: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Ann Intern Med. [Epub 28 January 2025]. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-24-00873.