Effectiveness of a self-management education program on hypertension control and contributing factors in older adults: an interventional trial

Background: One of the common disorders that may negatively affect the health status in elderly is hypertension. Self-management education offers an effective method to control various disorders. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of self-management educational program on blood pressure, and other cardiometabolic risk factors control among elderly patients from Tabriz, Iran. Material and methods: 227 eligible hypertensive elderly patients from three primary health care centers of Tabriz participated in 12 sessions of self-management education intervention conducted in 6 months from April to October 2019. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), serum levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride, as well as anthropometric indices were assessed both before and at the end of the intervention. Results: The participants were 64.5 ± 5.8 years of age (mean ± SD). After 6-month attendance in educational sessions, the SBP (p = 0.04), body weight (p = 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.02), FBS (p = 0.01), and TC (p < 0.0001) were lower as referred to baseline. Conclusion: Study suggests self-management education programs in elderly may be beneficial for cardiovascular risk factors control.