• Project status: Active

Research area: Clinical Sciences > Heart research

child with heart artwork

This study aims to address the silent precursors of serious heart health problems such as high blood pressure and thickening of the arteries that begin to form in the early years.

Blood pressure is an important indicator of heart health. When blood pressure is too high (also known as ‘hypertension’), the heart has to work harder to deliver blood and oxygen to the body. There is good evidence that maintaining healthy blood pressure in childhood can help reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease as they become adults.

However, no systems exist in Australia for children to get their blood pressure screened on mass, which is where our study comes in.

Blood pressure is an important indicator of heart health. When blood pressure is too high (also known as ‘hypertension’), the heart has to work harder to deliver blood and oxygen to the body. There is good evidence that maintaining healthy blood...

Blood pressure is an important indicator of heart health. When blood pressure is too high (also known as ‘hypertension’), the heart has to work harder to deliver blood and oxygen to the body. There is good evidence that maintaining healthy blood pressure in childhood can help reduce a person’s risk of developing heart disease as they become adults.

However, no systems exist in Australia for children to get their blood pressure screened on mass, which is where our study comes in.

What is the aim of this study?

This study is looking at two ways in which we can promote healthy blood pressure in children.

  1. The first way is through a heart health education program that we are designing together with Victorian school teachers. This program will teach children about the heart, how to maintain a healthy heart, as well as what blood pressure is and why it’s important.
  2. The second way is through a school-based blood pressure screening program.

This program will be run in select independent and catholic primary schools, where we will come to the school, participate in a class about heart health, and then afterwards, take some measurements.

Information for participants

School partners

If your school partners with us to deliver this program, we will work with your school to ensure the study is as easy and non-disruptive as possible. Before the education or screening sessions, we will send information and consent forms out to all parents/guardians of children in Grades 3-6.

What's involved?

These contain information about the study as well as a few questions to determine each child’s eligibility and to obtain some basic information. All information provided in these forms as well as throughout the study are strictly confidential.

When we come to your school, we will provide an education session for all children before we take blood pressure measurements from those who have provided consent. For some children, we will ask they have follow-up screening 1-2 weeks later at school before setting them up with a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor.

Finally, the parents/guardians of all children who participate will receive a letter with their results as well as a feedback survey.

Important note: If a child is found to have elevated or high blood pressure, we will indicate this in the results letter and strongly recommend they go to their general practitioner and receive a referral to the Royal Children’s Hospital or a local paediatrician.

Contact us

If you are a student or parent/guardian and would like your school to take part, please get in touch with your school principal and ask them to contact us.

If you are a primary school principal or teacher and would like to discuss your school taking part, please email us: