Adherence With Hypertension Care Among Hmong Americans

Abstract

To assess contexts of adherence with hypertension care among Hmong Americans, in-person interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 323 adults using culturally adapted survey instruments. The mean age of participants was 58 years; 91% had no education, and 86% spoke no English. Although more than 90% had health insurance and were treated with medications, the rate of blood pressure control was low (27%). A majority (> 90%) suffered from psychological distress, and 46% lived with physical illness. Over 50% reported nonadherence with hypertension care. Respondents who were 50 years of age or older, had no physical illness, did not know that hypertension was preventable, or believed that American medicine was too strong, were more likely to report nonadherence with proper medication consumption. Findings suggest that adherence was not due to lack of health care coverage; instead, it may be due to gaps in health services.

Definition and Management of Hypertension among Haitian Immigrants: A Qualitative Study

“…This study also supports the research showing that HTN definitions and HTN management strategies vary across cultural groups 8,9 . This study adds to the literature by bringing to light how Haitian immigrants represent HTN, in terms of how they define and manage the disease.…”

Antihypertensive Medication Adherence Among Elderly Chinese Americans

“…People who had a language limitation associated with understanding disease process, comprehensive medical instructions, and articulating health concerns presented barriers from effectively following their hypertensive treatment, and they are three times more likely to have improper medication practices compared with individuals without language difficulties (Wong, Mouanoutoua, Chen, Gray, & Tseng, 2005;Zhan & Chen, 2004). …”

Hypertension in Asian/Pacific Island Americans

“…The 1999–2004 NHANES reports data on awareness of HTN for whites, blacks, and Mexican Americans, but does not report data on APIAs 12 . There are few data on awareness of HTN among APIAs because they have been insufficiently captured in national surveys 16 . The proceedings of a 2003 American Heart Association conference on the epidemiology of hypertension among racial/ethnic groups stated that the awareness of HTN among Filipino Americans, Japanese Americans, and Southeast Asian populations was low, but no data were reported 17…”

“…The percent with BP <140/90 mm Hg were 25% of the Chinese and 38.7% of the Japanese Americans 19 . In 2001 in San Francisco, 46% of the hypertensives were taking BP medication, and 26.9% had their BP <140/90 mm Hg 16 . In 2004, the overall US treatment rate for hypertensives was 53.7% and control rate was 33.1% 12 .…”

“…12 There are few data on awareness of HTN among APIAs because they have been insufficiently captured in national surveys. 16 The proceedings of a 2003 American Heart Association conference on the epidemiology of hypertension among racial ⁄ ethnic groups stated that the awareness of HTN among Filipino Americans, Japanese Americans, and Southeast Asian populations was low, but no data were reported. 17 TREATMENT In San Francisco in 2000, 41% of the Chinese hypertensives were taking antihypertensive medication, and only 14% of them had their BP <140 ⁄ 90 mm Hg.…”