Effects of the Self-Efficacy Program on Practical Behaviors and Blood Pressure Levels in High-Risk Individuals for Hypertension in Community

Abstract

The purpose of this quasi-experimental research was to determine the effects of a self-efficacy program on practical behaviors and blood pressure levels among high-risk individuals for hypertension in the community. A multistage random sampling was conducted to recruit 60 people who were at risk of hypertension and met the inclusion criteria. Then, they were randomly assigned into either the experimental (n = 30) or the control (n = 30). The experimental group received a self-efficacy program, whereas the control group received a routine service from the hospital. The research instrument was a self-efficacy program. The tools used for collecting data were personal data, food consumption exercise behavior assessment and records of their blood pressure levels. Data were analyzed by using paired t-test and independent t-test statistics.

The results revealed that the experimental group had a higher average score on dietary and exercise behavior compared to the average score in the pretest with a significance level of .05, and the average score was significantly higher than the control group with a significance level of .05. In addition, the mean scores of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels of the experimental group were significantly lower with a statistical significance of .05, and the mean scores were also significantly lower than the control group with a significance level of .05.

The self-efficacy program could effectively improve food consumption and exercise behavior reducing the risk of hypertension and the number of new patients in the future.