Hypertension (HTN) management continues to be a concern due to challenges with behavioral risk factors. Patient education to modify unhealthy behaviors appears to be effective in managing HTN. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to determine whether individualized face-to-face education and counseling have a beneficial effect on systolic and…

Interventions that comprise interdisciplinary collaboration including behavioral elements are effective in addressing lifestyle disease risk factors. However, it is not known how best to conduct this collaboration for sustainable change. The aim of this study was to systematically examine the evidence for the effects of interdisciplinary…

Objective: This study collected on from all research relating to health education and hypertension in China and, with the aid of meta-analysis tools, assessed the outcomes of such health education. The analysis provides a basis for the further development of health-education programmes for patients with hypertension. Methods: Literature searches…

Objective: To review the characteristics of effective health promotion interventions for reducing chronic diseases and their risk factors in truck drivers. Methods: MEDLINE (PubMed), SCOPUS, Web of Science Conference Proceedings, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and the National Transportation Library were…

Objective: To evaluate the benefits of using computer-based interventions to provide patient education to individuals with hypertension. Methods: MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, ERIC, EMBASE, and PsychINFO were searched from 1995 to April 2009 using keywords related to "computers," "hypertension," "education," and "clinical trial." Additional…

Health behaviors, particularly physical activity, may promote cognitive health. The public agenda for health behaviors is influenced by popular media. We analyzed the cognitive health content of 20 United States magazines, examining every page of every 2006-2007 issue of the highest circulating magazines for general audiences, women, men, African…

Asian Indians are the third largest and fastest growing Asian subgroup in the U.S. and considered the model minority due to their high education and income level. Unlike other Asian immigrants, they are a more heterogeneous group with a genetic predisposition for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Current national surveys are incapable of…

In a roundtable format, five doctors explore the reasons why regular physical activity should continue to play a significant role in the rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease. Endurance exercise training improves aerobic capacity, reduces blood pressure, and decreases risk. (Author/MT)

Some physicians wonder if high blood pressure can be controlled without the use of drugs and their potential side effects. Current findings concerning nutrition and high blood pressure are presented. (RM)

As a consequence of somatic changes patients may suffer profound, indirect, and direct psychological effects in addition to the more direct biological ones. In order to prepare patients for living with new circumstances and feelings created by illness, intervention stragegies should address somatopsychic effects as well as others. (Author)

Sources of stress and hypertension are examined from the perspective of the professional educator and educational administrator. Physiological and psychological causes and effects of stressful lifestyles are explored, and suggestions are given for methods to deal with unhealthy amounts of stress. (LH)

This meta-analysis included 729 studies from 161 articles investigating how acute stress responsivity (including stress reactivity and recovery of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis, autonomic, and cardiovascular systems) changes with various chronic psychosocial exposures (job stress; general life stress; depression or hopelessness;…

While research strongly suggests that social support can be effective in helping patients increase their compliance with medical regimens, many more specific questions remain unanswered. These include: (1) how are physicians using social support in an effective manner; (2) what are the most effective ways for physicians and their office staff to…

Reviews the major physiological measures that have been examined in studies of stress at work. Attempts to show that procedures typically used for measuring the physiological symptoms of stress are inadequate and to show how the validity of work stress research can be improved with better measurement methods. (LLL)

A review of literature related to the effectiveness of dietary interventions in controlling blood pressure concludes that the existing literature contains sufficient evidence to identify successful dietary intervention techniques, in either the short or long term, which modify sodium intake, fat intake, or calorie intake in middle-aged men. (IAH)