Development of Eating Pattern for People with Uncontrolled Hypertension Using Family Participation Approach

Abstract

Eating the right foods for the disease is essential for controlling blood pressure level among hypertensive persons, therefore it is important that eating patterns suit the context and lifestyle of these persons. A developmental research design was used to conduct this study.  This study aimed to develop eating patterns for people with uncontrolled hypertension using family participation based on the family participation concept from literature reviewed and to study the feasibility of using the eating pattern in real situations. The population in the study consisted of: people with uncontrolled hypertension (N=68) and family members of people with uncontrolled hypertension (N= 68), and people who involved in caring for people with high blood pressure in the community (N=11). The study instruments were comprised of: 1) Data collection tools; (1) People with Uncontrolled Hypertension Eating Questionnaire, (2) Family Members Eating Questionnaire, (3) Focus Group discussion guide for Village Healthcare Volunteers and Health promoting Hospital Staff, (4) Feasibility of Using the Eating Pattern in Real Situation Questionnaire, and (2) Developmental Plan of the eating pattern for people with uncontrolled hypertension using family participation approach. The questionnaire content validity were test and CVI are 0.927, 0.99 and 1.00 respectively. The questionnaire reliability were test by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient formula, the reliability is 0.88 and 0.82 respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis.

            Two main results were found. The first documented that eating patterns were comprised of three main ideas: increasing consumption of vegetables, following a low salt diet, and appropriate eating. The second finding showed that the eating pattern developed in this study was suitable for the lifestyle of persons with the uncontrolled hypertension and their family members at a moderate level (x̄=2.50, S.D. = 0.62) and was feasible. (x̄=2.47, S.D.= 0.61). Therefore, it is important to use mass media to provide more information about eating patterns to highlight the future benefits for uncontrolled hypertensive persons. Communities should encourage this group  and their family members to use the eating plan and promote this eating pattern in the community. Moreover, in the future, the eating plan should include recipes for hypertensives that use local vegetables known to lower high blood pressure. These recipes should be easy for to prepare.