Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Hypertension is the leading preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality worldwide. Community health worker (CHW)-led intervention has been effective in lowering blood pressure (BP) and CVD risk. However, the long-term effectiveness of CHW-led intervention is unknown.

Aim: We assessed the long-term effectiveness of a CHW-led intensive BP intervention on CVD incidence and all-cause mortality.

Methods: The China Rural Hypertension Control Project (CRHCP) involved 33,995 hypertensive individuals aged ≥40 years from 326 villages in rural China. A total of 163 villages were randomly assigned to a CHW-led intervention, while the other 163 villages were assigned to usual care. CHWs were trained village doctors who initiated and titrated antihypertensive medications using a simple stepped-care protocol according to ACC/AHA clinical guidelines. They also conducted health coaching and delivered free or discounted antihypertensive medications to participants. The primary effectiveness outcome was a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or CVD death during the 48-month follow-up period. Secondary outcomes included CVD death and all-cause death. Safety outcomes were also assessed at 48 months.

Results: During a median follow-up of 48 months, 1,744 CVD events (2.6% per year) were documented in the intervention group, compared to 2,191 CVD events (3.5% per year) in the usual care group. The CHW-led intervention resulted in a 27% reduction in CVD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73; 95% CI 0.69 to 0.78). Furthermore, CVD deaths were reduced by 24% (HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.84), and all-cause deaths were reduced by 14% (HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.80 to 0.94) in the intervention group compared to the usual care group. Participants in the intervention group had a significantly lower rate of serious adverse events compared to usual care participants (risk ratio 0.94; 95% CI: 0.91 to 0.98). However, there was no statistically significant difference in injurious falls, symptomatic hypotension, or syncope between the two groups.
Conclusion: This randomized cluster trial showed that a CHW-led intervention significantly reduced CVD risk and all-cause mortality over 48 months among rural residents in China. This feasible and effective BP intervention strategy should be scaled up in China and other low- and middle-income countries to reduce the burden of CVD worldwide.