African Americans and Hypertension

Purpose: Hypertension is a major concern in healthcare today, especially in African Americans. Causes of high blood pressure are multi-factorial and may include poor lifestyle choices, medication adherence, ineffective follow-up care and patient health care knowledge deficit. All aspects of blood pressure reduction are multifactorial, so they need to be addressed for adequate health control.
Methods: The participants for this project included eight older adults ages 40-85 years in an Urban African American church in Port Saint Lucie. This project aims to determine if a 3-month educational class that involves Dash diet, exercise planning, and antihypertensive adherence will improve blood pressure in African Americans.