Prevalence Of High Blood Pressure Essay

* The U.S. High Blood Pressure Education Program is a public-private cooperative effort formed to help reduce death and disability related to hypertension, which is at the root of 50% of those suffering heart attacks and two-thirds of those suffering strokes. Using a campaign that integrates social marketing to first build awareness of the “silent killer,” and then encourage action, awareness of the problem more than tripled to over 90% and those seeking treatment more than doubled within a single decade.

Tobacco use also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, whether it being smoking or chewing tobacco. The risk is particularly higher if the person started smoking at a young age, smokes heavily and/or if the person is a woman. No matter how long that person has been smoking for, stopping can make a major difference when it comes to cardiovascular diseases. Physical inactivity is also a modifiable risk factor, obesity is a big problem in many countries and it increases the risk of heart diseases by 50%. Obesity also leads people to diabetes, which is also a risk. 31% or coronary heart diseases and 11% of the strokes worldwide are due to a high diet in fats, this is a big deal in certain countries because high diets in fats are seen everywhere. Another factor is being poor. It is normal that low income will make people's lives lean towards a stressful one, one where there is social anxiety, isolation and depression, which are all reasons why a person can get cardiovascular diseases. When someone abuses alcohol, drinking more than two drinks a day, it increases their risks as well. There are a few other modifiable risk factors, such as taking certain medications.

High blood pressure causes vary from person to person. Some of the main causes of high blood pressure are genetics, diet, family history, weight, and use of too much salt. Genetics and family history of high blood pressure go hand in hand. Since family members share lifestyles and genes, that can influence their risk for this disease. Some characteristics that are out of your control that can affect the risk for high blood pressure include, age, race, or ethnicity. Although African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives, the lifestyle one lives can

Tu, K., Chen, Z., Lipscombe, L. L., & for the Canadian Hypertension Education Program Outcomes,Research Taskforce. (2008). Prevalence and incidence of hypertension from 1995 to 2005: A population-based study. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal, 178(11), 1429-1435.

Hypertension is sometimes referred to as the silent killer (Aycock, Kirkendoll, & Gordon, 2013). Today it is a public health problem. According to the American Heart Association 2013 Statistical Fact Sheet (2013), one out of every three adults has high blood pressure, which is estimated at 77.9 million people (AHA, 2013). High blood pressure is also referred to as hypertension. Hypertension is a prevalent medical condition that carries with it the risk factor for increased chances of heart disease and stroke (Gillespie & Hurvitz, 2013). Hypertension remains one of the top 10 causes of worldwide disability-adjusted life years (as cited in Drenjančević-Perić et al., 2011). For the estimated 348, 102 deaths in 2009, high blood pressure was listed as the primary or contributing cause of death (AHA, 2013). Despite the health risk associated with hypertension, the diagnoses of high blood pressure continue to rise. By 2030, hypertension is expected to increase by 7.2% from 2013 estimates (AHA, 2013).

Individuals are more likely to develop CVD if they have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are obese, use tobacco, eat a poor diet, or are not physically active. Most clinical risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease can be modified by practicing healthy lifestyle and behavior choices (Yu, Rimm, Lu, Rexrode, Albert, Qi, Willet, Hu, & Manson 2016).

In Monmouth County, it has been documented that the stroke mortality rate among older adults “between 2011 and 2013 was 32.3 deaths per 100,000 population”, which is comparable to the statewide rate (“2016 Community Health Assessment,” 2017). Buonacera, Stancanelli, & Malatino (2017) have stated that “hypertension is the leading modifiable contributor to stroke.” Therefore, it is important to focus on monitoring the blood pressure (BP) and detect early signs of hypertension, due to high BP, to prevent the development of stroke. One of the Leading Health Indicators (LHI) priorities from Healthy People 2020 that I will concentrate on is “HDS-5.1 Reduce the proportion of adults with hypertension” (“Heart Disease and Stroke,” 2014). Researchers have indicated that 35.9% of older adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2015. It indicates a significant increase since 2011 than the desired target of 26.9% suggested by Healthy People 2020 (“2016 Community Health Assessment,” 2017; “Heart Disease and Stroke,” 2014). The prevalence of hypertension in Monmouth county is alarming. Health promotion and preventative measures should be implemented to reduce the percentage of older adults with hypertension, accounting for more CVD mortality than other modifiable

Currently in the United States of America approximately 3 million U.S citizens are affected by high blood pressure a year. There are two types of high blood pressure, Primary high blood pressure and Secondary high blood pressure. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and when Blood pressure is measured two numbers Systolic Pressure the pressure when the heart is pumping blood, and Diastolic pressure the pressure between heart beats. There are many treatments for high blood pressure for example changing the individual's diet to eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetable, legumes, low fat dairy products, fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, and the individual should limit eating foods high in sodium and salt, red meats, Palm

The causes resulting in hypertension vary from person to person and can be extremely difficult to identify. In other words the exact causes of high blood pressure are not known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, including: Smoking, Being overweight or obese, Lack of physical activity, Too much salt in the diet, Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day), Stress, Older age, Genetics,

Machado et al. did not address the scope of the problem or consequences of the problem in the problem statement. However, these items were identified in the introduction leading up to the problem statement as complications of uncontrolled HTN with low rates of adherence to treatment associated with advanced age and disparaging public health factors (Machado et al., 2017). The problem is identified as systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) requiring treatment changes that might be difficult to institute or maintain for the elderly population due to various factors (Machado et al., 2017). Machado et al. briefly address the background and knowledge gaps as aspects related to culture, the health environment and individual capacities (2017). A proposed solution is introduced in the problem statement to build a relationship with the HTN patient to with the patient in corroborating on a plan of care that the patient is able understand and will follow through with (Machado et al.,

Cigarette smoking is a factor contributing to hypertension. Tobacco, which is smokeless, is also linked to hypertension via its nicotine and sodium content. In many instances, stress is a causative factor of high blood pressure. Relaxation techniques have some value in lowering blood pressure. Exercise reduces both blood pressure and stress.

While the exact origin of this disease is unknown, medical research claims there are predisposing factors that make an individual more prone to becoming hypertensive. The prevalence of high blood pressure differs by race/ethnicity, with the condition being more common among blacks, comprising 40.4% of known cases (MMWR, 2013). There are certainly other personal contributing factors that helped with the progression of the disease. Vicki is an African American woman in her early forties, and lives a very busy lifestyle which requires her to travel quite frequently. From this we know that she has an abnormally sedentary routine which promotes vascular insufficiencies. Lacking substantial physical activity permits the vessels to constrict over time. With more resistance in the arteries, her heart cannot pump resourcefully and blood flow is slowly

Factors that contribute to hypertension are age, ethnicity, gender, and lifestyles as shown in Figure 1 (Yoon, Burt, Louis, & Carroll, 2012). While the prevalence of hypertension is relatively equal among men and women, certain ethnicities have a higher propensity for developing hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension in African-Americans is among the highest in the United States for a single ethnic group (Ferdinand & Armani, 2007). In the United States, around 78% of people suffering from hypertension are aware of their condition, with only 68% using hypertensive medications to control their blood

The two major types of hypertension are primary and secondary. Primary hypertension accounts for more than 90% of all cases and has no known cause, although it is hypothesized that genetic factors, hormonal changes, and the altercations in sympathetic tone all may play a role in its development. Secondary hypertension develops as a consequence of an underlying disease or condition. The prevention and treatment of hypertension is a major public health issue. When blood pressure is controlled, cardiovascular, renal disease, and stroke may be prevented. The JCN, reported more than 122 million individuals in American are overweight or obese, consume large amounts of dietary sodium and alcohol, and do not eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables; less than 20% exercise regularly. Both modifiable and non-modifiable factors play a role in the development of hypertension

A nursing intervention to help improve this health need within the Filipino American population is helping identify stressors and ways to reduce them. As Ursua et al. found that stress is a factor of hypertension, especially amongst Filipino Americans and their experience with migrating to the United States to provide for their family back in the Philippines (2014). A nurse can help identify with the patient the stressors and discover a realistic plan or coping mechanism to overcome them.