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Community-based program helped minorities lower BP

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A community-based initiative was successful in reducing BP among residents in 18 predominantly black communities in the United States, according to data presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Scientific Sessions.

The AHA’s “Check. Change. Control.” program was implemented for 7 months in 18 US cities with high minority populations and high CVD burden. As part of the program, AHA staff and local community organizations and businesses trained volunteer health mentors to implement a program that focused on health information technology, health education, events and support for monitoring and reducing BP.

Monique L. Anderson, MD, of Duke University, presented results of an evaluation of the program based on participant enrollment, participant engagement (defined as 8 BP measurements uploaded during 4 months) and BP change.

Monique L. Anderson

In total, 4,069 participants were enrolled in the program across the 18 communities from January to July 2013. According to Anderson, most of the programs were implemented in churches, work-site wellness programs and health care institutions. The sites enrolled a mean of 226 participants during 3 months, she said.

Compared with programs with low or moderate enrollment, programs with the highest enrollment were more likely to recruit from senior residential institutions and service organizations, to hold hypertension management classes, and to use both established and new community partners, according to the results.

Engagement by participants ranged from 0% to 52.8%, and characteristics associated with programs with the highest engagement included holding hypertension classes and following up with participants via phone calls or face-to-face contact, the researchers found.

Among all participants, systolic BP decreased by a mean of –7.5 mm Hg and diastolic BP decreased by a mean of –3.3 mm Hg (P<.0001 for both). The researchers observed a wide program-level variation in systolic BP change (+7.2 mm Hg to –29.3 mm Hg) and diastolic BP change (+1.84 mm Hg to –9.89 mm Hg).

Compared with other programs, programs with participants who had the largest decreases in BP were more likely to distribute BP cuffs to participants, check BP at engagement activities and use volunteer leads to oversee program activities, according to the results.

The more BP uploads in a program, the larger participants’ declines were in systolic and diastolic BP (P<.0001 for both).

“The program capitalizes on local resources that can bring about changes in behavior and improve [BP] rates,” Anderson said in a press release. “As participants became more knowledgeable, they probably started exercising more, taking their medication more, and those who were really engaged showed dramatic responses in [BP] change.”

For more information:

Anderson ML. Abstract 200. Presented at: American Heart Association Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions; June 2-4, 2014; Baltimore.

Disclosure: Anderson reports no relevant financial disclosures.