Health programmes lowered blood pressure and may build confidence in older adults

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   2714 older adults with high blood pressure took part in 12 trials published from 1999 to 2019. Half the trials were in the United States or Iran.

2. 02

   What they did

   The programmes taught people to manage their own blood pressure, through education, self-management, or both. All were face to face, and a few added a handbook or phone calls. They ran from 4 weeks to 2 years.

3. 03

   What happened

   Blood pressure fell a little. Confidence and taking medicines as prescribed rose a lot. The medicine results varied widely between trials. Body weight (BMI) did not change clearly.

What the review found

1. HelpedMotivation

   In three trials, health programmes raised confidence in managing blood pressure more than usual care did.

   Pooled analysis of 3 studies with 130 people · vs usual care or another programme · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. HelpedGoals

   In four trials, health programmes helped people take their medicines as prescribed more than usual care did.

   Pooled analysis of 4 studies with 544 people · vs usual care · they rated themselves · ⚠ signs that small negative studies went unpublished; results look too good to be true; the studies disagreed a lot; whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source