The Effect of a Self-Management Program on Blood Pressure Control Behavior of Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the effect of a self-management program on blood pressure control behaviors among hypertensive patients. The self-management program proposed by the concept of (Kanfer and  Gaelick-Buys, 1991). 27 participants were recruited by purposive sampling. Participants were diagnosed as hypertensive at Bang Riang Health Promotion Hospital, Khuan Niang District, Songkhla Province. The research instruments were a self-management program and the behavioral questionnaire for controlling blood pressure. The reliability of this questionnaire was 0.741. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test. The results showed that at 12-weeks after program completion, participants had significantly higher scores of hypertension-controlling behaviors (= 2.77 SD = 0.13) before enrolling in the program (= 2.51, SD = 0.23) (z = -4.155, p-value <0.001). Our results suggested that a self-management program can be used to promote hypertensive-controlling behaviors in other areas in order to reduce the burden of hypertension and to maintain good health among hypertensive patients.