Precarious World of Hypertension (Htn) as it

¶ … precarious world of hypertension (HTN) as it relates to a specific and substantial segment of the American population. The study sought to determine whether an intervention with African-American students between the ages of 14 -- 17 would be efficacious. The problem is that there is a higher incidence of HTN in African-Americans than in almost any other demographic. This is a problem because of the many health risks associated with this disease.

The purpose of the study was to determine whether education and learning on how to combat HTN would be beneficial to the study participants, and through extrapolation be beneficial to the African-American members of society as well. Specifically, "the purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy of a school-based health promotion intervention" (Covelli, 2006, p. 173).

The objectives of the study included; increasing knowledge of health promotion and daily exercise, increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables and maintaining normal blood pressure levels. The study's variables included the fact that a strict diet could not be monitored, nor could the amount of exercise be determined in an effective manner. The review of literature was effective and contained pertinent and consistent information related to information that assisted the research community in understanding the problem and how the study would help in addressing that problem.

According to the literature cited by the study, theoretically an intervention that provided African-American students with knowledge and support pertaining to the various exercise and nutritional habits formed during adolescence would be beneficial to those students by helping them change their lifestyle to include healthier alternatives to their somewhat sedentary lives.

The study's design was based on a nine-week intervention that consisted of two one and a half hour per week classes that would concentrate on both exercise and nutritional guidance for a group of 14- to 17-year-old African-American students in a Florida community. Participants were recruited and given initial blood pressure tests, then they participated in the program and then were given blood pressure tests again for comparison against the initial tests. The participants were also asked to fill out a simple questionnaire (20 questions) at both the beginning and the end of the intervention. Results were achieved by comparing the questionnaires and blood pressure tests against a control group.

The sampling method was random in design, although it did have guidelines to which the method adhered. Those guidelines included the fact that the students had to be between 14 -- 17 years of age, African-American heritage, have both a signed parental consent form and a participant consent form, and must be able to read and write English. One potential problem that could be considered in using this type of sampling method is that it might not extrapolate out as the study assumes. The sampling size was small and very concentrated, which can lead to huge problems in extrapolating to the entire African-American society.