07 Nov Young Adults Males Need More Hypertension Education

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Heather M. Johnson, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, UW Advanced Hypertension Program
Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Medicine Division
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Madison, WI 53792

Medical Research: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Johnson: Our study addresses the public health burden that young adults have significantly lower hypertension control rates compared to middle-aged and older adults. The development of incident (new) hypertension is an important “teachable moment” to educate young adults about necessary lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Dr. Johnson: We retrospectively evaluated the electronic health record of 500 randomly selected young adults (18-39 years old) with incident hypertension for documentation of lifestyle modification counseling.  Our primary finding is that only 55% of young adults had lifestyle education documented within one year of developing incident hypertension. Young adult males had significantly lower rates of receiving documented education.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Johnson: For clinicians, our research highlights the need for primary care interventions to provide effective lifestyle modification counseling with ongoing monitoring and support of behavior change.  Primary care providers have a daily challenge of managing multiple competing demands and have very limited time for intensive lifestyle education. In addition, we demonstrate a need to address lower rates of hypertension lifestyle education among young males.

We would like to encourage patients to discuss their blood pressure during primary care visits.  Patients should be aware that healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, weight loss, and a low sodium diet can lower blood pressure and help prevent future heart disease.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Dr. Johnson: For clinicians, our research highlights the need for primary care interventions to provide effective lifestyle modification counseling with ongoing monitoring and support of behavior change.  Primary care providers have a daily challenge of managing multiple competing demands and have very limited time for intensive lifestyle education. In addition, we demonstrate a need to address lower rates of hypertension lifestyle education among young males.

We would like to encourage patients to discuss their blood pressure during primary care visits.  Patients should be aware that healthy behaviors such as regular exercise, weight loss, and a low sodium diet can lower blood pressure and help prevent future heart disease.

What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Dr. Johnson: Future research is needed to identify additional barriers to hypertension control in young adults.  Young adults with hypertension have a significantly elevated risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke and heart failure.  Controlling hypertension among young adults will have a significant public health benefit.

Citation:

Johnson, H.M. et al. Documented Lifestyle Education Among Young Adults with Incident Hypertension. Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2014 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-014-3059-7

Last Updated on November 7, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD