Opportunistic pop-up health stations may help capture cardiovascular risk in the community. A prospective observational study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, evaluated the effectiveness of this approach by analyzing population characteristics and risk factor prevalence across different community settings. Over seven weeks, participant-operated health stations were deployed in 311 community pharmacies and at an international sporting event.

A total of 76,085 individuals underwent screening. Of these, 89.8% were screened at pharmacies and 10.2% at the stadium. Uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors were highly prevalent, affecting 68.9% of participants. Elevated blood pressure was present in 37.2%, elevated body mass index in 60.5%, and active smoking in 12.1%. Screening at the sporting event revealed higher risk rates than at pharmacies. Within pharmacies, rural locations and weekday daytime screenings detected more uncontrolled risk factors compared with urban and weekend or evening sessions.

The findings highlight that opportunistic screening via community health stations can reach large populations and identify high rates of uncontrolled cardiovascular risk. Strategic deployment during high-traffic events, rural access points, and weekday hours may further improve detection.