Identification and follow up of cardiovascular disease risk factors among participants at a pharmacy student-led screening program

Background: The increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipideamia, and obesity underscores the need for proactive screening. Given the insidious progression of these conditions, early detection is paramount. The Screening and Testing Programme for Pharmacy Students (STEPPS) is a pharmacy student-led, work-based learning initiative at the University of the Witwatersrand that provides preventive cardiovascular risk screening to university staff and students. Aim: To identify the occurrence of underlying and uncontrolled risk factors for cardiovascular disease from a convenience sample of participants who attended the STEPPS screening events at the University of the Witwatersrand in year 2022. The study further determined whether the referral of the identified participants led to a diagnosis and intervention. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a screening event called STEPPS at the University of the Witwatersrand. A convenience sample of university staff and students aged 18 years and older who voluntarily participated was included. Fourth-year pharmacy students conducted screenings, including blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and anthropometric measurements. Participants with abnormal results were referred for further care, and follow-up was conducted via telephone interviews several months later. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in STATA® 18.0. Results: There was a self-reported occurrence of hypertension (6.5 %), diabetes (2.09 %), dyslipideamia (2.87 %), and obesity (3.91 %). Elevated readings were observed among 136 (18.25 %) participants for blood pressure, 13 (2.83 %) participants for blood glucose and, 50 (11.36 %) participants for blood cholesterol. Among the CVD-related referrals based on abnormal screening results (33 participants), 75 % complied. Of these, 35 % exhibited significant findings, including newly diagnosed cases (43 %), disease escalation (29 %) and lifestyle modifications (29 %). Among follow-up participants, 16 (80 %) participants reported undergoing interventions post-screening. Conclusion: The student-led initiative effectively identified the occurrences of undiagnosed and uncontrolled cases at the university with 80 % of referrals leading to a medical intervention.