LU-CAEHS Research Seminar
"Effective Self-Management of Hypertension in Older Adults: A Qualitative Interpretive Phenomenological Study"
Uncontrolled high blood pressure often leads to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of premature mortality. Cardiovascular hypertensionrelated incidents and uncontrolled hypertension population figures continue to increase, yet evidence suggests with treatment, hypertension prevalence would be reduced. Increasing numbers of older adults leads to an increased hypertension population, an elevated disease burden, and high economic costs.
A qualitative interpretive phenomenological research study was conducted to understand participants’ experiences of their hypertension diagnosis and self-management of the disease. Data was collected from nine purposively selected older adults (50–80 years), who were recently (within the past year) diagnosed with hypertension and were on antihypertensives. This study aimed to reveal their lived experiences at diagnosis, disease perception, and subsequent hypertension self-management information based on an interview.
Five themes emerged from the data: emotional responses to diagnosis; role of family history and social support; self-management strategies and behaviors; health-care system interactions and patient education; and perceptions, beliefs, and motivational factors. To initiate hypertension self-management, patients needed activation for productive interaction with health-care providers at the point of diagnosis and subsequently to implement hypertension self-management.
The hypertension selfcare conceptual framework (HS-CCF) was proposed to aid health-care providers in primary care to set up, if needed, and link newly diagnosed hypertensive patients with community educational programs to equip the patient with skills for self-efficacy to enable self-care for improved bloodpressure control, thereby improving patient quality of life and longevity.
About the presenter:
Dr. Judith Rudo Mutamba is an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist in Human Nutrition and Health with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension (LUCE) in Missouri. She holds a Doctor of Health Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and advanced graduate degrees in nutrition, exercise physiology, and medical sciences from the University of Missouri and Uppsala University in Sweden.
Dr. Mutamba’s research focuses on promoting effective self-management of hypertension among older adults. Her areas of expertise include human nutrition and health, community nutrition assessment, nutrition education, food security, and the prevention and management of chronic diseases.
Through integrated education, research, and extension programming, Dr. Mutamba collaborates with diverse communities, farmers, organizations, and other partners to improve nutrition, health, and overall well-being. She is particularly committed to advancing food security and promoting the cultivation and consumption of underutilized, nutrient-dense crops as sustainable strategies for building healthier, more resilient communities.
Photo of Dr. Judith Mutamba