Public health education and the control of hypertension in the United States.
In recent years, national and regional health education programs have sought to increase public awareness concerning the risks of asymptomatic hypertensive disease. Such programs have fostered community screening and encouraged long-term care. As a result of these intensive educational efforts, larger numbers of persons with hypertension are now aware of blood pressure elevations and the pool of treated hypertensive patients has grown in number. Recently observed declines in mortality due to cardiovascular disorders in the United States may relate to efforts committed to the control of hypertension. Although a wide range of alternative explanations for these major declines are possible, changes in risk factors and, more pertinently, effective large-scale management of hypertension are plausible explanations for these salutary secular trends.
D001294:Attitude to Health; D006266:Health Education / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States