Minorities With Hypertension Benefit From Community Based Programs

Community based programs prove beneficial in lowering hypertension among minorities, a new study reveals.

A latest finding by the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research 2014, highlights how community based programs can help minorities reduce  blood pressure levels. The finding is based on the analysis of 4,069 participants who used the American Heart Association's Check Change Control Program.

The participants were from 18 urban African American communities with high blood pressure. The program was run for four months in 2013 in churches, workplaces, wellness facilities, healthcare and housing centers.

The researchers noticed that the participants who frequently checked their blood pressure had the largest drop in blood pressure. 

The 'Check. Change. Control' program, included a blood pressure monitoring kit, blood pressure checks during activities like walking clubs and cooking classes and volunteers who led activities showed the best result.

"This program capitalizes on local resources that can bring about change in behavior and improve blood pressure rates," said Monique Anderson, M.D., lead researcher of the study and a medical instructor in cardiology at the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the Duke School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. "As participants became more knowledgeable, they probably started exercising more, taking their medication more, and those who were really engaged showed dramatic responses in blood pressure change."

The researchers also found that among  the participants, the systolic blood pressure dropped by 7.5 mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure by  3.3 mmHg.  

It is estimated that nearly 78 million Americans have blood pressure and it is often called as the silent killer as it has no symptoms.  When compared to other racial and ethnic groups, African American men in the United States have higher incidences of  hypertension. Due to this the African Americans have a greater chance of stroke and kidney diseases.

"Check. Change. Control. is remarkable because of its size and scope and its impact on public health," said Eric Peterson, M.D., M.P.H., principal investigator. "But rather than just being satisfied with success, we're trying to understand which parts of the program were most effective so we can improve it as it is expanded to the rest of the nation."