Music-based programs to lower blood pressure and prevent stroke
Official title: Innovative Tools to Expand Music-Inspired Strategies for Blood Pressure and Stroke Prevention (I-TEST BP/Stroke)
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11164586 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Using locally created music campaigns, this project works with young people and their older caregivers in Nigeria to help lower blood pressure and prevent strokes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 29, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $535,141 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL168766-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11164586 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are youth paired with their older adult caregivers (parents, grandparents, etc.) who live in the Nigerian communities where the music campaigns are run and are interested in preventing high blood pressure and stroke.
✕Less likely to help
People who live outside the targeted Nigerian communities, are not part of a youth–caregiver pair, or who need immediate medical or surgical treatment for advanced heart or brain disease may not benefit from the music-based intervention alone.
What this research studies
You and an older family caregiver would be invited to help create songs and music messages through community open calls so the material fits your culture and needs. Those music campaigns would be used in neighborhoods and clinics to teach simple blood pressure and stroke-prevention habits. The team will pair youth with older caregivers and deliver music-based activities designed to encourage healthy behaviors. Study staff will track blood pressure and related health measures over time to see how well the approach helps families.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help reduce blood pressure and lower stroke risk in Nigerian families by using familiar, engaging music to promote lasting healthy habits.
How similar studies have gone: Previous randomized trials and implementation studies have shown music-based and culturally tailored strategies can help lower blood pressure and support prevention behaviors, though large-scale, youth–caregiver campaigns in Nigeria are new.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Iwelunmor, Juliet — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Iwelunmor, Juliet
Related research
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Music-based programs to lower blood pressure and prevent stroke
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.