Personal Control in Newly Diagnosed Essential Hypertensive Patients and Health Behavior Adherence: Case Study at the Laquintinie Hospital

Statistics project hypertension as the third leading cause of mortality worldwide and many studies in developing countries have reported values of more than 50% nonadherence among hypertensive patients. Several factors contribute to this. Identifying clinically significant, modifiable person-related factors of nonadherence is primal. As such, the personal control construct, conceptualized as a belief was identified via its different operationalization in three main theories: the LoC, the Social Cognitive and the Salutogenic Theories. This study explored aspects of distorted personal control beliefs that are linked with the adoption and maintenance of maladapted health behaviors among newly diagnosed essential hypertensive patients attending the Laquintinie hospital of Douala. A Case Study was conducted on a sample of 3 subjects aged 42, 45 and 53. They were evaluated with the aid of an observation grid/interview guide and four scales -the MHLC-C Scale, the SEMCD Scale, the SoC-13 Scale and the GAM Scale. The study signals an urgent need to design individualized and multidisciplinary interventions to enhance adherence. Interventions will be aimed at modifying distorted beliefs and the resultant dysfunctional behaviors while reinforcing pre-existing, well-adapted ones.