Impact of self-measured blood pressure monitoring on hypertension management

BACKGROUND: An estimated 31% of adults in the USA have hypertension. The American Heart Association's Check. Change. CONTROL: (CCC) program is an ongoing evidence-based hypertension management program that encourages participants to use remote blood pressure (BP) monitoring to take control of their cardiovascular health. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring and tracking on high BP control among participants of the CCC program. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study among hypertensive men (n = 912) and women (n = 2021) using the 2016-2017 CCC national data. Demographics were examined among participants who checked their BP readings frequently, with a minimum of eight BP readings over four months, versus those who did not check their BP as often. Multivariable logistic regression evaluated the association of SMBP monitoring and BP reduction. RESULTS: A greater proportion of participants who frequently checked their BP readings had BP reduction (17.7%), compared to participants who did not check their BP readings frequently (3.9%, P < 0.001). Men were 40% less likely to have BP reduction compared to women (P = 0.02); African Americans and Hispanic Americans were 63% (P < 0.0001) and 37% (P = 0.07) less likely to have BP reduction as compared to Caucasian Americans, respectively. After adjusting for sex and race/ethnicity, the odds of BP reduction was 4.88 times (95% confidence interval, 2.66-8.95) higher for participants who checked their BP readings frequently, compared to those who did not frequently check their BP readings. CONCLUSION: Hypertensive participants who monitor their BP readings frequently using a self-management program have better BP control.