High blood pressure is a significant health issue in the United States, particularly in the South, where rates of obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease are high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of adults in the country have high blood pressure, which causes over half a million deaths each year.
Marlo Vernon, PhD, associate professor at Augusta University’s School of Public Health, described the challenges facing communities in this region. “There are significant chronic disease risk factors in this so-called Stroke Belt. We’ve got high obesity rates. We have family history. We have high rates of diabetes and kidney disease and they all kind of feed into each other to really create this cardiovascular health need in our communities. And women, in general, are just at a higher risk for this,” Vernon said.
Vernon serves as community education coordinator for Augusta University’s Rural Obese At-Risk initiative led by Jennifer Sullivan, PhD. The project aims to raise awareness about hypertension risks and improve access to prevention and treatment methods. Access to care remains a major obstacle for people living in rural areas.
Brianna McIndoe from the School of Public Health has spent months visiting almost 20 rural counties across Georgia to gather data directly from women at locations such as grocery stores and gyms. Their research revealed stories highlighting barriers to care: some women walk long distances in hot weather just to use public blood pressure monitors; others must choose between buying food or purchasing medicine or equipment for their own health.
“There was one woman who, after she gave birth to her daughter, her blood pressure spiked to 210/120, and the doctor told her to go home and take a bubble bath,” McIndoe recalled. “She ended up having to rush to the emergency room the next day, and a rural county emergency room was something like an hour and a half away.”
To address these issues, Vernon and McIndoe began providing public blood pressure monitors at libraries starting with Sparta-Hancock County Library last spring. Each participating library receives five cuffs available for checkout by anyone who needs them.
The researchers observed that people check out these monitors either because they want to start tracking their blood pressure or because their doctors require regular logs. For those without home monitors, borrowing from libraries removes barriers such as repeated trips to stores or clinics just for readings. Home monitoring can also increase accuracy if done under consistent conditions.
McIndoe has expanded deliveries of cuffs into other regions including Jefferson County and northeast Georgia. The team divided Georgia into five sections based on Medical College of Georgia satellite campuses at Augusta University so they can monitor usage patterns across different areas.
Vernon emphasized her commitment: “We try to talk about it in terms of opportunities. Where are our opportunities for growth, improvement or change? I’ve done similar research before talking to women about real care…I knew from that work that access to the internet is very limited and so far broadband internet is not ubiquitous across the state.”
Access to technology affects what interventions are possible; online learning resources depend on reliable internet service while printed materials may be needed elsewhere.
“That really helps us identify what kinds of interventions we can create,” Vernon said. “If you have internet access we can do online learning projects…So we are thinking through what are some ways we can take these amazing resources we have at MCG and AU and put it into the community in a way that they can really access it.”
Another challenge identified was confusion over trustworthy sources when seeking health information online or elsewhere.
“There’s so much information out there but then being able to use some health literacy skills…whether or not they feel confident talking to their doctor about it…they just wanted a source they knew they could trust,” Vernon said.
Education will be part of future efforts; soon each check-out box will include guidance on interpreting blood pressure results along with reminders on how best to measure accurately.
“People tell us all the time ‘I go to the doctor and they tell me my blood pressure’s fine…I don’t know the difference between good and fine,’” Vernon noted. She explained that reference cards from organizations like the American Heart Association help clarify this information along with instructions on proper measurement techniques.
More educational projects are planned for 2026 as part of ongoing outreach efforts by Augusta University’s team.
“I’ve really loved working on this project…actually seeing we’re able do something in the community…I’m super excited about that,” McIndoe said.
