Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) intervention reduces blood pressure among hypertensive African American patients in a neighborhood health care center.
The purpose of this study was to pilot-test DASH-Dinner with Your Nutritionist, a university-neighborhood health care center intervention to promote the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Study participants were low-income African American adults (N = 82) with poorly controlled blood pressure. Six groups, each consisting of 12 to 15 participants taking antihypertensive medications, met for 1 to 2 hours per week for 8 weeks. The intervention followed constructs of Social Cognitive Theory and featured dinners based on the DASH diet plan. Blood pressure was significantly lowered (P < .05) among participants who missed no more than 2 of 8 sessions. Extension of the DASH-Dinner model could improve blood pressure control among low-income hypertensive African Americans and reduce health disparities.
Rankins
Jenice
J
Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. jrankins@mailer.fsu.edu
Sampson
Wayne
W
Brown
Betty
B
Jenkins-Salley
Tihesha
T
D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome