Key result
COVID-19 lockdown altered daily environments and disrupted hypertension self-care practices.
Why the study?
Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity in the Philippines, and the COVID-19 Enhanced Community Quarantine imposed mobility restrictions that changed health system focus and potentially affected hypertension self-care practices.
Mobility restrictions during the pandemic exposed inequities in resource distribution and significantly altered hypertension self-care practices, underscoring the need for patient-centered interventions during prolonged lockdowns.
Lockdowns may disrupt hypertension self-care; leaves open questions on macro-level barriers for hypothesis-generating research.
Background: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of morbidity in the Philippines owing to urbanization, population growth, and individual lifestyles. Upon the advent of COVID-19 in the Philippines, Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was imposed from March to May 2020, resulting in mobility restrictions and changing the overall focus of the health system. Objective: This paper aims to understand and describe daily experiences, self-care practices (SCPs), and barriers and facilitators involved in the management of hypertension of selected female hypertensive patients in Marikina City during ECQ. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological design complemented with purposeful sampling was employed to gather in-depth information regarding lived experiences and SCPs of female hypertensive patients aged 40-59 in the City of Marikina during ECQ. Results: Inductive thematic analysis using NVivo12 Qualitative Data Analysis software following 13 in-depth inter-views revealed five themes: 'pagkakulong' or imposition, 'pagpapahalaga' or preservation, 'pakikibagay' or adaptation, 'palakasan' or inclination, and 'panawagan' or petition. Discontinuation and acquisition of SCPs were influenced by factors external to participants, while retention of practices was influenced mainly by individual factors, implying that a patient-centered approach is important in drafting interventions and creating policies for long periods of lockdown. Conclusion: The imposed ECQ affected environmental and macro-level factors surrounding discontinuation, retention, and acquisition of SCPs related to hypertension. Inequities in resource distribution affected patient perception of health services and willingness to seek care. Recommendations include establishing an association between barriers, facilitators, and outcomes and broadening the study's coverage to wider demographics.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Debalucos et al. (2026) studied Hypertension (n=13). COVID-19 lockdown (Enhanced Community Quarantine) was evaluated on Lived experiences and self-care practices regarding hypertension management. The COVID-19 lockdown significantly altered environmental and macro-level factors, leading to the discontinuation, adaptation, or retention of hypertension self-care practices.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: