title: Effects of labeling patients as prehypertensive.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Labeling patients as hypertensive has some negative effects. The effects of being labeled as having prehypertension are unknown. We examined whether the label of prehypertension exerts a negative effect on patients' perceived health and whether it motivates people to adopt lifestyle recommendations to prevent hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomized 97 prehypertensive adults to either a labeling message or a generic (no label) message. At 3 months we assessed self-reports of change in perceived health and reported adoption of lifestyle recommendations to try to prevent hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Except for more participants with asthma in the label group, the 2 groups were similar at baseline. Among the 70 participants who provided 3-month follow-up data, 18 people (56%) in the no-label group and 22 people (58%) in the label group reported their health as the same; 13 people (41%) in the no label group and 16 people (42%) in the label group reported health as better; and 1 person (in no label group) reported his health as worse. At 3 months there were no differences in reports of changing eating habits (risk ratio [RR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.86-1.31), cutting down on salt (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.84-1.15), reducing alcohol intake (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.80-1.90), or exercising (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.91-1.51) to try to prevent hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being labeled as prehypertensive seems to exert neither harmful nor helpful effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Anthony_viera@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Viera
authors.forename: Kara
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lingley
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esserman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult