چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background:In the U.S., young adults (18–39 year-olds) have the lowest hypertension control rates among
hypertensive adults. Understanding young adults’ unique perceptions about hypertension and perceived barriers
to hypertension control is critical to develop effective interventions for this population. This multi-center study
explored young adults’: 1) emotions and reactions after a hypertension diagnosis, 2) attitudes about managing
hypertension (lifestyle changes, follow-up visits, antihypertensive medication use), 3) opinions about their healthcare
system’s hypertension education materials, and 4) opinions about using social media to manage hypertension.
Methods:Young adults (18–39 year-olds) with a diagnosis of hypertension and regular primary care access were
recruited by the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN). Two focus groups (one per age range:
18–29 years, 30–39 years) were conducted in three Midwestern Family Medicine Clinics (academic, rural, and urban).
Conventional content analysis was performed.
Results:Thirty-eight young adults (mean: 26.7 [9.6] years old, 34 % male, 45 % Black, 42 % with≥1 year of college)
identified barriers to managing hypertension. Emergent themes overlapped across age groups and geographic
regions. Most respondents were surprised and angry about a hypertension diagnosis; they expected to develop
hypertension, but at a much older age. A hypertension diagnosis negatively altered their“young” self-identity;
suggested behavior changes and antihypertensive medications made them feel“older” than their peers. Young
adults missed blood pressure follow-up visits due to co-payments, transportation barriers, and longer than desired
wait times for brief visits. Contrary to our hypothesis, most young adults disliked social media or text messaging to
support self-management; they were most concerned that their peers would see the hypertension communication.
Current hypertension education materials were described as not addressing young adults’ health questions and are
often discarded before leaving the clinic.
Conclusions:Targeting interventions to young adults’ unique needs is necessary to improve hypertension control
and cardiovascular preventive healthcare delivery.