Effect of a Digitally-Enabled, Preventive Health Program on Blood Pressure in an Adult, Dutch General Population Cohort: An Observational Pilot Study

Worldwide, it is estimated that at least one in four adults suffers from hypertension, and this number is expected to increase as populations grow and age. Blood pressure (BP) possesses substantial heritability, but is also heavily modulated by lifestyle factors. As such, digital, lifestyle-based interventions are a promising alternative to standard care for hypertension prevention and management. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of elevated and high BP in a Dutch general population cohort undergoing a health screening, and observed the effects of a subsequent self-initiated, digitall... Mehr ...

Verfasser: José Castela Forte
Pytrik Folkertsma
Rahul Gannamani
Sridhar Kumaraswamy
Sipko van Dam
Jan Hoogsteen
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
Reihe/Periodikum: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 19, Iss 4171, p 4171 (2022)
Verlag/Hrsg.: MDPI AG
Schlagwörter: hypertension / blood pressure / lifestyle / digital health / ehealth / prevention / Medicine / R
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27405034
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074171

Worldwide, it is estimated that at least one in four adults suffers from hypertension, and this number is expected to increase as populations grow and age. Blood pressure (BP) possesses substantial heritability, but is also heavily modulated by lifestyle factors. As such, digital, lifestyle-based interventions are a promising alternative to standard care for hypertension prevention and management. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of elevated and high BP in a Dutch general population cohort undergoing a health screening, and observed the effects of a subsequent self-initiated, digitally-enabled lifestyle program on BP regulation. Baseline data were available for 348 participants, of which 56 had partaken in a BP-focused lifestyle program and got remeasured 10 months after the intervention. Participants with elevated SBP and DBP at baseline showed a mean decrease of 7.2 mmHg and 5.4 mmHg, respectively. Additionally, 70% and 72.5% of participants showed an improvement in systolic and diastolic BP at remeasurement. These improvements in BP are superior to those seen in other recent studies. The long-term sustainability and the efficacy of this and similar digital lifestyle interventions will need to be established in additional, larger studies.