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Keywords:

Older people, hypertension, health, knowledge, perception

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia is increasing and an effective management of hypertension is important to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Objective: To determine the knowledge, awareness and perception towards hypertension among residents in nursing homes as well as the roles of caregivers in hypertension management.

Method: A face-to-face survey with 200 hypertensive residents and 30 caregivers from 24 nursing homes in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia was conducted.

Result: Of all the hypertensive residents, 90.5% (n = 181) knew that lowering their blood pressure could improve their health. Most residents strongly believed that taking antihypertensive drugs is important for keeping their high blood pressure under control (n = 162, 81%). Taking medication was perceived as the most important factor in controlling the high blood pressure (58%, n = 116) compared to lifestyle or diet modification. The majority of the caregivers reported that they played a major role in managing hypertension, especially with regards to medication-taking. task (66.7%, n = 20).

Conclusion: The knowledge, attitude and perceptions of hypertension play a relatively major role in the self-management of hypertension. The role of caregivers also needed to be recognised in managing hypertension in nursing homes.

Introduction

The high prevalence of hypertension has been reported from various regions around the world.1 The National Health and Morbidity Survey reported that the prevalence of hypertension in Malaysia in adults increased from 42.6% in 2006 to 43.5% in 2011.2 Hypertension is the most common risk factor for coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, end-stage renal failure, stroke and all-cause mortality.3 The complication of hypertension could be prevented by lowering blood pressure, leading to a significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates.4 Therefore, the management of hypertension is important for the overall reduction of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.5

Antihypertensive medication and lifestyle modification are essential for the prevention of high blood pressure.6 Self-management interventions have beneficial effects on people with chronic conditions.7 Hypertension self-management behaviours, including medication adherence, self-blood pressure monitoring and lifestyle modifications involving diet and exercise, are recommended and have been shown to result in a significant reduction in blood pressure.8

The number of hypertensive patients is rising drastically due to the increasing aging population.2 Age is...

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