Differences of Self-Management in Controlling Blood Pressure between Patients with Hypertension and Healthy People in Vietnam

Purpose: To assess the differences in blood pressureself-management behavior between healthy peopleand patients with hypertension, and to suggest possiblepredictors of blood pressure self-management in Vietnam.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted, ina sample of 362 patients with hypertension and 174 healthypeople were recruited, using a questionnaire survey.Results: The scores of blood pressure self-managementbehavior were significantly higher among patients withhypertension compared to healthy people. The living areain rural (β = -2.32, P < 0.0001) and with more than sixyears duration of hypertension (β = 1.88, P<0.0001) werethe predictors for the score of self-management behavioramong patients with hypertension, while in healthy people,the score was significantly predicted by higher knowledgeof hypertension (β = 0.35, P<0.0001) and education onprevention of hypertension (β = 0.86, P = 0.002). The majorsource for both patients with hypertension and healthyindividuals to acquire health- or hypertension-relatedknowledge was television or radio program.Conclusion: Patients with hypertension presented withhigher scores of self-management behavior. The Vietnamesegovernment should provide more health education programin general population. The development of an crediblemedia technology (e.g., television, radio, internet) is arecommendable stratrgy in disseminating information on theprevention and controlling of hypertension.IntroductionHypertension is highly considered one of the most commonrisk factor leading to global morbidity [1], mortality [2, 3], andnegative effects on the physical and psychological conditionsfor approximately one billion people worldwide [4] and thisproportion will increase to about 1.5 billion by 2025 [5]. Likemany other developing countries, hypertension in Vietnamhas assumed a major public health dilemma [6]. It is thethird leading cause of death in hospitals among Vietnameseadults, and the prevalence rate of hypertension is increasing,especially with 41.8 % people reported with prehypertensionin Vietnam