Factors Affecting Blood Pressure Level Control in Patients with Hypertension

Abstract

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the factors affecting blood pressure control in hypertensive patients receiving services at the Hypertension Clinic, Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai Province. Participants consisted of 294 hypertensive patients selected by simple random sampling. The research instruments used were a personal data and health condition questionnaire, a risk behavior assessment form for hypertension, a stress assessment form, a social support assessment form, a health service accessibility assessment form, a hypertension knowledge test, and a perceived risk assessment form for hypertension complications. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis to examine relationships.

The results showed that the majority of the participants, 54.08%, were female, aged between 56-75 years (Mean = 60.17, S.D. = 15.15). 63.27% were able to control their blood pressure levels. Factors affecting blood pressure control included having a normal body mass index (AOR 1.82, 95% CI: 1.10-3.32), having moderate risk behavior from consuming sweet, fatty, and salty foods (AOR 3.31, 95% CI: 1.72-5.70), engaging in physical activity for at least 30 continuous minutes per week (AOR 2.16, 95% CI: 1.18-3.93), having a high level of social support (AOR 3.40, 95% CI: 1.15-10.07), having a high level of knowledge about hypertension (AOR 4.10, 95% CI: 1.90-8.50), and having a high perception of the risk of hypertension complications (AOR 3.41, 95% CI: 1.01-11.44). Therefore, healthcare providers should assess these factors to develop guidelines for improving the care of hypertensive patients. This will help patients adopt healthier behaviors to control their blood pressure, leading to a reduction in the number of patients with uncontrolled hypertension.