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DESERVE: Positive health beliefs appear to reduce systolic BP after stroke, TIA

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Bernadette Boden-Albala

Patients who had a mild to moderate stroke or transient ischemic attack and were aware that they could protect themselves against having a stroke had a greater systolic BP reduction compared with those who did not know that they could decrease their risk, according to data from the DESERVE study presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH, senior associate dean of research and program development and professor of epidemiology at New York University College of Global Public Health and College of Dentistry, Rachelle Jacoby, MPH student at New York University, and colleagues analyzed data from 434 participants (mean age, 64 years; 52% women) who had a mild to moderate stroke or TIA.

Participants were asked five questions about their health beliefs such as their worry of having a stroke, their ability to prevent a stroke and the knowledge that some people are more likely to have a stroke than others.

Participants who knew that they could protect themselves against having a stroke (77.9%) had a significantly greater reduction in mean systolic BP vs. those who disagreed with the question (6.29 mm Hg vs. 1.57 mm Hg; P = .02). The other health belief questions did not have significant relationships with systolic BP.

Those who agreed with the statement that they could protect themselves against a stroke had a greater mean systolic BP reduction (6.44 mm Hg) vs. those who disagreed with the statement after adjusting for sex, age, education, race, stroke history, intervention status and marital status (P = .02).

“Certain health beliefs, such as those related to patient empowerment, may play an important role in secondary stroke prevention,” Boden-Albala and colleagues wrote in an abstract. – by Darlene Dobkowski

Reference:

Jacoby R, et al. Poster WP521. Presented at: International Stroke Conference; Feb. 6-8, 2019; Honolulu.

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.