Faculty, Staff and Student Publications
Language
English
Publication Date
5-1-2026
Journal
American Journal of Health Promotion
DOI
10.1177/08901171251375071
PMID
40944951
PMCID
PMC13039218
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
9-13-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among laundromat users in San Antonio, Texas, and explore laundromats as a novel setting for health interventions regarding these 2 conditions.
Design: This descriptive, cross-sectional study involved demographic, blood pressure and HbA1c screenings to assess the health status of laundromat users.
Setting: The study took place in 7 laundromats in low-income areas of San Antonio.
Subjects: A total of 150 adults aged 18 and older who regularly used the laundromats and spoke either English or Spanish were eligible to participate.
>Measures: Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥130 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥80 mmHg. Diabetes was defined as an HbA1c level ≥6.5%. A survey collected demographic and healthcare access data.
Results: 61.1% (95% CI: 53.0%-68.6%) of participants screened positive for hypertension, significantly higher than county (31.1%), state (32.3%), and national (32.7%) rates (P < .001). The prevalence of diabetes was 14.1% (95% CI: 8.7%-21.1%), slightly higher than Bexar County (10.2%) and national (8.4%) rates, though not statistically significant. Gender and the number of children in the household were significantly associated with hypertension and diabetes, respectively.
Conclusion: Laundromats can effectively serve as sites for health screening and interventions for hypertension and diabetes, offering a unique opportunity to reach underserved populations and address health disparities.
Keywords
Humans, Hypertension, Male, Female, Cross-Sectional Studies, Middle Aged, Diabetes Mellitus, Adult, Mass Screening, Hispanic or Latino, Texas, Prevalence, Aged, Young Adult, Adolescent, Glycated Hemoglobin, White, hypertension, diabetes, place-based interventions, laundromats, health screening, low-income populations
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Nicholas A McCann, Vanessa Schick, and Jack Tsai, "Screening for Hypertension and Diabetes in Laundromats in the Largest Hispanic-Majority City in the U.S" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 1565.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthsph_docs/1565