Resumen

VARELA AREVALO, MARÍA TERESA et al. THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION ON BLOOD PRESSURE AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION. Act.Colom.Psicol. [online]. 2005, vol.8, n.2, pp.69-86. ISSN 0123-9155.

This paper presents the results of a study which purpose was to determine the impact of a lifestyle modification program to reduce blood pressure levels and to improve the quality of life in Hypertension patients. The method was a quasi-experimental, with transversal design, intragroup analysis and repeated measures (pre-post intervention). The sample was composed of 44 hypertension patients attended at a Health Care Service from Cali, Colombia. Systolic (SBP) and Diastolic (DBP) blood pressure levels were registered, and quality of life was assessed through the SF-36 Health Survey v2. A reduction of SBP was found with statistical significance, while DBP remained the same in controlled levels. With regard to quality of life, the lifestyle modification program had beneficial effects on the mental summary and the Role Emotional scale. In the physical summary, the Physical Function and Role Physical improved significantly. The quality of life results showed some differences between patients with controlled and uncontrolled SBP and DBP levels.

Palabras clave : Health Psychology; quality of life; arterial hypertension; lifestyle modification.

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