ExPresSO Medical study

I have been invited to take part in a research study in Oxford, they're looking for volunteers who were born at term or premature to take part. It's just a shame they're looking at my exercise habits when I can't do much exercise! dammit!

Exercise and Blood Pressure Study Oxfordshire

Study Background

High Blood Pressure is a common problem with 1 in 4 of the adult population developing high blood pressure. The likelihood of developing high blood pressure increases with age but for some people high blood pressure develops early during their 20’s and 30’s.

Understanding the factors contributing to high blood pressure and identifying individuals at risk is important so that we can reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke in later life. 

The Exercise and Blood Pressure Study Oxfordshire is inviting young adults (18-40 years old) born at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to provide measures of blood pressure, physical activity and give details on their lifestyle. The unique recruitment method, using historical birth and maternity records to identify potential participants will allow our research team to explore the relationships between birth history and future blood pressure.  

 Study Objectives

We are specifically interested in understanding more about the influence of preterm birth, being born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, on future blood pressure.  A number of European and North American research studies report that blood pressure is higher in young people who were born prematurely compared to those delivered following uncomplicated pregnancies after 37 weeks.

Using the results from ExPresSO we hope to be able to contribute to improving cardiovascular risk reduction in young adult populations including strategies to increase physical activity and reduce blood pressure.

 Study Recruitment

We aim to recruit 600 participants aged between 18 and 40 years old.  Potential participants identified from the John Radcliffe Hospital records will be sent a study letter inviting them to take part in the study. The study team will then contact interested individuals to check eligibility for the study and arrange a study visit.

 Study Visits

Study visits will take place in the Cardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, John Radcliffe Hospital. We estimate that the full study visit will take approximately 60 minutes. During this time participants will complete the study consent process, complete the study questionnaire which includes questions on alcohol consumption, diet, smoking, family medical history and factors influencing physical activity choices. Recordings of participant blood pressure will be made and participants will be asked to provide a sample of blood. The study visit will finish with participants being provided with a wrist worn activity tracker to wear for 9 days. Similar to a wrist watch the device uses an accelerometer to provide a measure of daily physical activity.