Ocena skuteczności zestawów edukacyjnych w podejmowaniu zmiany zachowań ryzykownych wśród pacjentów z nadciśnieniem tętniczym

Jolanta Życińska , Ewa Marszewska , Joanna Syska-Sumińska

Abstract

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of educational kits on modification of lifestyle among patients with hypertension. Material and methods: The study comprised 99 patients below the age of 65 with diagnosed hypertension without co-existing chronic ailments. A two group design was adopted (an experimental group that received the educational kit and a control group), with a baseline measurement and a 3-month follow-up. The measurements included medical parameters (blood pressure, BP; body mass index, BMI; total cholesterol, TCh and waist circumference, WC) and questionnaire assessments of risk behaviors (IZZ supplemented with a tool for evaluation of risk behaviors contained in the educational kit) and of the generalized self-efficacy (GSES). Results: The analysis of variance with repeated measures revealed a statistically significant positive main effect of measurements on general (IZZ) and on risk behaviors contained in the educational kit when generalized self-efficacy was a covariate. The lifestyle modification was related to a statistically significant decrease in medical parameters while no BP changes were observed. The difference between the results of the measurements was not found to be due to the application of the educational kit. After the medical parameters were introduced into the analyses as explaining variables it was proven that in the experimental group, unlike the control group, the relative change of behaviors contained in the educational kit was higher only in the group with correct BP values. Conclusions: Lifestyle modification among patients with hypertension is meant to lower the cardio-vascular risk. As a result, its evaluation should include not only BP monitoring, but also monitoring of medical parameters related to risk behaviors. Patient education strategies are effective if the so far conducted hypertension treatment have been successful.