A descriptive study of adherence to lifestyle modification factors among hypertensive patients

Abstract

Background/aim: Healthy life style recommendations (e.g., physical activity, healthy diet, and decreased cholesterol levels) play an important role in controlling blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to assess lifestyle modification factors among patients diagnosed with hypertension. Materials and methods: A descriptive-survey design was used. Data were collected using four questionnaires; one was the Beliefs about Medication questionnaire (BMQ) and the rest were developed to collect data about demographic and clinical characteristics and lifestyle modification factors. Results: In total 312 questionnaires were completed. The results revealed that our participants did not follow the healthy lifestyle recommendations; for example, the mean blood sugar (BS) level, body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol levels were 155 mg/dL (standard deviation (SD) = 71.9), 29 kg/m2 (SD = 5.4), and 197 mg/dL (SD = 86.6), respectively. A significant correlation was shown between age and BP (P = 0.000). Increase in diastolic BP (DBP) correlated with a significant increase in cholesterol level (P = 0.002) and BMI (P = 0.006). Conclusion: Our study showed that somewhat hypertensive patients in Jordan did not follow a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, urgent action by addressing behavioral risk factors has a positive impact on preventing and controlling hypertension.