Interventional study - effectiveness of information, education and communication (IEC) intervention among hypertensive patients in rural areas of Gadag, South India

• Author Details:   
• Uday Kalinge
• Gulappa Devagappanavar ^*
• Sudeep Shetty

Background: Hypertension demonstrates an iceberg phenomenon with an extent of unknown morbidity surpasses the known morbidity. Traditionally, hypertension has been perceived as asymptomatic, with even individuals deemed healthy reporting subjective symptoms. In Gadag district the prevalence of hypertension is 22.1% among females and 23.9% among males. Essential approaches to manage blood pressure encompass such as weight loss, healthy balanced diet with reduction of salt intake, limitation of alcohol consumption, and promotion of physical activity.

Objectives: 1) Assess the effectiveness of IEC intervention in controlling hypertension. 2) To identify the potential reasons for uncontrolled hypertension.

Materials and Methods: Interventional pre-test and post-tests were carried out at Kurthkoti, Nagavi and Hulkoti villages as identified in sampling. A two-stage sampling was used to recruit the participants. 150 participants were included in the study. A pre-tested interview schedule was used to obtain the data from the participants during December 2023-January 2024. Data were expressed in frequency and percentages: Paired T test was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The intervention was disseminated through home visits and the distribution of pamphlets on hypertension control.

Results: In the current study 54% of participants were male and 46% were female, pre-test mean systolic blood pressure and standard deviation was 147.26mmhg (4.2), and post-test was 137.83 mmhg (5.6), the mean difference was 10. The pre-test mean diastolic blood pressure and standard deviation was 86.27 mmhg (6.37), and the post-test was 77.6 mmhg (4.93), the mean difference was 8.6. The intervention was found significant with a p-value of 0.001. Reasons for uncontrolled hypertension was non-adherence to medications 10(37.1%), physical inactivity 5(18.5%), financial barriers 8(29.6%) and difficulty in altering lifestyle was 4(14.8%).

Conclusion: The current study assessed the effectiveness of IEC intervention in controlling hypertension was found effective among subjects. Potential reasons for uncontrolled hypertension were non-adherence to medications, physical inactivity, financial issues, and difficulty in altering lifestyles.