Access to a home monitor and hypertension among Mexican American women: A randomized controlled trial

Hypertension is widespread and often uncontrolled and untreated among Mexican-American women leading to possible morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease. Recent studies indicate that home blood pressure measurements improve blood pressure control rates. However, few studies have evaluated self blood pressure management in racial and ethnic minorities with hypertension. No studies were identified that examined access to a home monitor and subsequent blood pressure measurements among Mexican-American women diagnosed and treated for hypertension. This research evaluated the effects of access to a home blood pressure monitor and subsequent blood pressure measurements among Mexican-American women diagnosed and treated for hypertension.

toward lowering blood pressure among Mexican-American women diagnosed with hypertension and prescribed at least one antihypertensive medication. This 2-group randomly assigned study recruited 63 women attending a primary health center. Participants were randomized to four 1-hour weekly education sessions and a wrist blood pressure monitor (n=32) or four 1-hour education session only (n=31). Additionally, all women were offered four weeks of education on the combination of diet, exercise and medications to control hypertension. The two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test the hypotheses that there would be a lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure over time in Mexican-American women who had access to a home monitor and education than those who had education only. The statistical analysis indicated no significant differences in the diastolic or systolic blood pressures between Mexican-American women who were given a wrist home blood pressure monitor and instructions on use and who attend weekly 1-hour education sessions for 4 weeks compared to Mexican-American women who attend the education sessions only. A significant difference was evident among the diastolic and systolic blood pressure through all 5 sessions in the intervention (monitor/education) and control (education only) group.