The first GACD funding was launched in 2011. The call focused on focused on hypertension research in low- and middle-income countries and Indigenous Populations in Canada and Australia.
Please note this call is now closed
Find out more about the projects funded through the Hypertension call.
First GACD Funding Call- Prevention and Management of Hypertension
The first GACD funding call (Prevention and Management of Hypertension) was launched in 2011. The call focused on focused on hypertension research in low- and middle-income countries and Indigenous Populations in Canada and Australia.
Hypertension is a major contributor to the growing global pandemic of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Poor control rates for hypertension and a lack of strategies to maintain normal blood pressure reflect the challenges of effective and affordable implementation in health care and other systems.
The programme built on previous research that has examined the efficacy and effectiveness of approaches to prevent and control high blood pressure. This programme sought to improve the implementation of existing approaches to prevention and control rather than to develop new treatments. Prevention is a critical component of all hypertension control programmes and may involve non-medical approaches targeted at individuals or communities.
Programme objectives
The long term goal was for the results of projects supported by this funding opportunity to provide healthcare providers and decision-makers with the scientific evidence to implement effective programs that would:
reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) developing as a consequence of high blood pressure
inform implementation and enable scale-up of larger programs (including related policies in health and other sectors) at local, national and regional levels
The specific objectives of the programme were:
To develop a better understanding of key barriers at local, national and international levels that affect hypertension control and to consider how these implementation challenges can be overcome
To understand how innovations for hypertension control can be introduced and scaled-up across a range of settings
To identify what elements of systems most need to be strengthened to prevent hypertension and its consequences (e.g. stroke)
To improve hypertension control rates while reducing disparities in hypertension control across population sub-groups
Call Text
Download the common call text agreed by the members of the GACD.
Funding Agencies
The following funding agencies took part in the Hypertension call.
Outcomes
A total of fifteen projects were funded through the Hypertension call.
GACD have also published an end-of-programme report, providing a comprehensive summary of the programme and outcomes. More information about the Hypertension report is available here.
The GACD Process Evaluation group produced guidance for teams evaluating hypertension interventions
Publications and outputs from the projects funded through the Hypertension call
Case Studies
The HOPE-4 Study – Hypertension detection, treatment, and control in Colombia and Malaysia
A school-based education program to reduce salt intake in children and their families
Cost effectiveness of salt reduction interventions in Pacific Islands
Some of our case studies featured in the BBC StoryWorks Facing Forward series, hosted by the NCD Alliance: The cultural sensitivities of salt reduction
Would this content be useful for a friend or colleague?