Increasing culturally appropriate lifestyle modifications for better blood pressure management among African immigrants in a faith-based organization

Purpose of Project: Hypertension remains a major public health concern globally, with disproportionately high prevalence and poor management among the African immigrants in the United States due to cultural beliefs, limited access to medical care, limited health literacy, and socioeconomic challenges. Despite these obstacles, studies have shown that community-based health education and culturally tailored interventions have enhanced blood pressure control and promoting adherence to treatment. The purpose of this study was to improve the blood pressure management by increasing awareness and incorporating culturally appropriate lifestyle changes through an educational program and tracking record among a sample of African immigrants.Methodology: A one group pretest-posttest design was used. African immigrants were recruited from a community church in New Jersey. Pre and post intervention blood pressure and weight were collected alongside the responses from the Hypertension Knowledge Test (HKT) Tool, the Hill-Bone Questionnaire (HBQ) and a weekly exercise tracking log. Results: There was a significant reduction in weight, blood pressure and an improvement in the hypertension knowledge of the participants, evidenced by the reduction of pre intervention BMI from 26- 42 to post intervention BMI of 25-39. There was a 9.9 increase in participant knowledge after the educational intervention and weight management exercise.Implications for clinical practice: The findings of the project suggest that Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH), exercise, weight loss, and ongoing educational intervention should be incorporated in patient care at the community level to improve health outcomes and reduce the burden of hypertension in society. Keywords: Hypertension, participants, education, African immigrants, blood pressure