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3 pp. / Revised

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MPH / Department of Public Health

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Hypertension is a serious medical condition. Although men and women of all racial groups in the US suffer from high blood pressure, black women have the highest rates of hypertension. For instance, the age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension among black women ages 20 and over is 44.3, compared to 28.1 among white women, 40.5 among black men, and 31.1 among white men. Past research has focused on SES and behavioral factors as potential explanations for blood pressure disparities between black and white women. But, even after controlling for such factors, considerable disparities remain. The goal of this research is to examine cultural and social factors that have been shown to increase blood pressure. Specifically, I examine social support, psychosocial characteristics, and contextual factors associated with race/ethnicity and hypertension, in hopes of explaining some of the disparities in high blood pressure between black and white women. iii Using data from Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), I estimated a sequence of multinomial logistic regression models predicting prehypertension and hypertension in young adulthood. Cross-sectional models show that racial disparities in hypertension remain after controlling for social support, psychosocial characteristics, and contextual factors. In fact, the only covariate that substantially reduced the racial disparity in hypertension was body mass index (BMI), a fairly reliable measure of body fatness for most people. I also estimated a set of multinomial logistic regression models predicting odds of prehypertension and hypertension by adolescent and cumulative social support, as well as psychosocial, contextual, and behavioral factors. These models were included to determine if early life and/or cumulative factors and conditions would help explain racial blood pressure disparities not explained by adulthood factors. Findings show that none of the early life or cumulative social support, psychosocial, contextual, or behavioral factors helped to explain racial differences in prehypertension or hypertension. Even after controlling for these factors, black women are still 1.18 times more likely than white women to have prehypertension and over two times more likely to suffer hypertension. Indeed, my findings indicate that, of the factors included in all these models, only race, age, and BMI were significant predictors of blood pressure. Also, BMI was the only factor to explain some of the disparities between black and white women. These results are similar to other studies that have examined racial health disparities, suggesting that simply being a black woman in US society may be unhealthy. The health effects of racism, discrimination, and other sources of stress faced disproportionately by black women are not easily measured by social science research, which is possibly why racial disparities in blood pressure have yet to be explained. Future research should also explore possible epigenetic effects introduced by the health conditions experienced by previous generations, as well as the influence of prenatal and early life environments.

Background The incidence of hypertension is increasing in developing countries such as Thailand (Chaiteerapan et al 1997; Ministry of Public Health 2001; National Library of Thailand Cataloguing in Publication Data 2001) as a result of sociological, political and economic changes. These changes are producing enormous alterations in people�s lifestyles, following similar trends in western countries (National Economic and Social Development Board 1997). Negative changes in food consumption, alcohol consumption, level of physical activity, smoking, stress and tension have led to an increase in chronic health problems for Thai people (National Economic and Social Development Board 1997). Age, gender, ethnicity, genetic background, family health history and hyperlipidaemia are likely to influence hypertension (Kaplan, Lieberman & Neal 2002; Mancia et al 2002; Manger & Gifford 2001; National Heart Foundation of Australia 2003). It has been found that health care professionals and patients with chronic disease have increased their use of complementary therapies to help relieve uncomfortable symptoms and suffering (Long, Huntley & Ernst 2001). Foot reflexology is a well known complementary therapy which claims to help the body achieve homeostasis (Byers 2001; Dougans 2002). It is believed that pressing specific areas on the feet related to specific glands or organs of the body can help these glands and organs to function at their peak, allowing the body to heal itself (Byers 2001; Dougans 2002). The principle difference between massage or touch and foot reflexology is that foot reflexology provides not only the relaxation effect obtained from massage or touch is said to also improve body�s immunity contributing to healing process (Byers 2001;Dougans 2002). Foot reflexology has been scientifically researched in many studies to explore the claimed benefits (Bishop 2003; Kohara et al 2004; Oleson & Flocco 1993; Siev-Ner et al 2003; Yang 2005). Some studies have supported its ability to reduce anxiety and pain (Gambles, Crooke & Wilkinson 2002; Launso, Brendstrup & Arnberg 1999; Stephenson, Dalton & Carlson 2003; Stephenson, Weinrich & Tavakoli 2000). However, there has been little scientific evidence to support the claim that foot reflexology can reduce blood pressure and serum lipids, and can improve the quality of life in patients with hypertension (Hodgson 2000; Milligan et al 2002; Park & Cho 2004). The purpose of this study was to begin to fill this gap by investigating the influence of foot reflexology on blood pressure, serum lipids and quality of life. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology on reducing blood pressure in patients with hypertension. To this end, patients receiving reflexology were compared with patients receiving a light foot massage, thus controlling for any effects contributed by massage or touch alone. Null hypotheses 1. There is no difference in mean blood pressure level between the foot reflexology group and the light foot massage group at the end of four weeks of treatment. 2. There is no difference in mean low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels between the foot reflexology group and the light foot massage group at the end of four weeks of treatment.3. There is no difference in mean quality of life scores between the foot reflexology group and the light foot massage group at the end of four weeks of treatment. Sample A sample size of 128 was required to yield a power of 80%, if the difference in mean diastolic blood pressure between the two groups was 5 mmHg. One hundred twenty eight patients with hypertension who attended the hypertensive clinic in the medical outpatients department of Phramongkutklao Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand were enrolled and participated in the study. Methods Data collection This study used a randomized controlled trial design. Participants were randomly allocated into one of two groups � 64 participants in the foot reflexology group (intervention) and 64 in the light foot massage group (control). Data collection took place over 4� months between 26 July and 9 December 2004. Ethics approval was obtained from both the university and hospital ethics committees. Prior to randomization, participants were asked to complete a demographic data questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOLBREF) (World Health Organization 1996) questionnaire. Blood was drawn to test LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Using an intervention protocol based on previous literature (Byers 2001), participants in the foot reflexology group received their usual medical treatment and a 50-minute foot reflexology treatment twice a week for four weeks. Participants in the light foot massage group received their usualmedical treatment and a 30-minute light foot massage session without pressure on specific reflexology areas twice a week for four weeks. Blood pressure was recorded before and after each treatment. At the end of the study, participants were asked to complete the WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization 1996) again and blood was once more drawn to test LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Data analysis An independent samples t-test followed by analysis of covariance was used to test for difference in mean diastolic blood pressure between treatment groups both unadjusted and adjusted for baseline values respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to present the demographic data. Results Demographic data Control and intervention groups were similar in gender, age, educational background, economic factors, lifestyle characteristics, co-morbidities and medical treatments. Demographic data which were substantially different between groups were marital status, the length of time experiencing hypertension and the length of time having treatment for hypertension. The study showed that fewer participants in the foot reflexology group (57.8%) were married than in the light foot massage group (70.3%). The foot reflexology group also had a higher rate (32.8%) of �divorced/separated/widowed� compared with the light foot massage group (20.3%). Participants in the light foot massage group had almost nine times the number of participants who had had hypertension for more than 15 years, and almost eight times the number of participants who had been having treatment for hypertension for more than 15 years, compared with those in the foot reflexology group. Outcome variables For both the unadjusted and adjusted analyses, there was no statistically significant difference between treatment groups post-intervention. Conclusions The results from this study did not support the claim that foot reflexology can decrease blood pressure, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Similarly, there was no evidence that it could improve the quality of life in patients with hypertension.

MSc (Nursing), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) occurring during pregnancy, labour and puerperium is a major contributor to the high percentage of maternal morbidity and mortality in the Eastern Cape Province, and worldwide. In South Africa (SA), PIH is the second most common of all primary causes of maternal mortality reported in the triennium from 1999 to 2001. From 1999 to 2001, PIH was the cause of 20,7 % (n = 507) of all maternal mortalities in SA (Department of Health (DOH), 2001:38). In the light of these statistics and other statistics related to other causes of MMR, the National Confidential Committee on Enquiries into Maternal Deaths (NCCEMD) developed the National Guidelines for Maternity Care in South Africa, a Manual for Clinics, Community Health Centres and District Hospitals. The guidelines related to PIH were of particular interest in this study. A quantitative, descriptive and contextual survey was conducted to determine the implementation of the National Guidelines for Maternity Care for the management of PIH by the midwife at level-1 clinics in the Eastern Cape, and to make recommendations for the management of PIH by midwives at level-1 clinics with the intention of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity due to PIH. The research method comprised a retrospective record review of the records of all patients admitted with PIH at a level-3 hospital who were referred by a midwife from a level-1 clinic. Data were collected by means of a researcher-administered data collection tool based on the iii National Guidelines for Maternity Care in SA for the management of PIH. The researcher wished to determine whether the National Guidelines for Maternity Care in SA was being implemented for the management of PIH by midwives at level-1 clinics in East London. A purposive sample of 290 maternal records of mothers who had been admitted for PIH at level 3 after being referred from level-1 clinics from May 1999 to June 2003 were used. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Ethical issues were taken into consideration. Validity and reliability were ensured. In conclusion, given the study findings, the researcher has made recommendations with the intention of reducing mortality due to PHI in the Eastern Cape.

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Objectives To investigate if there is an association between dental health status and high blood pressure, to test the effectiveness of screening for high blood pressure and high blood glucose performed by the dental health care in collaboration with primary health care and to investigate the direct costs for this type of screening organisation. Study population and methods In Paper I 54 subjects with known hypertension and 141 with a high blood pressure in the dental office were compared with matched controls. In Paper II 1,149 subjects were screened for hypertension and in Paper III 1,568 subjects were screened for diabetes in dental care. Follow up was performed in co-operating primary health care centres. In paper IV the direct costs for screening and follow-up were calculated. Results There was a significant association between deep periodontal pockets and high blood pressure, even when the influence of age, sex, smoking and number of teeth was taken into account. Among those being screened for high blood pressure and high blood glucose 20.6% and 9.9% respectively were referred to primary health care, and a hypertension or a diabetes diagnosis was found in 32.1% and 5.8% of those screening positive. For every 18th subject screened a hypertension case was found (“numbers needed to screen” (NNS)), and for every 196th a diabetes case. NNS for combined hypertension and diabetes screening was 15. The total direct costs for screening and follow up per diagnosis found were 5,298 SEK for hypertension, 19,100 SEK for diabetes, and  4,116 SEK for combined blood pressure and blood glucose screening. Conclusions There was an association between dental health and hypertension. Screening for hypertension was highly efficient, while screening for diabetes was less so, because it is a less prevalent condition. Screening for both conditions appears to be the most efficient type of screening.