Health education about hypertension in the elderly in rural Chinese villages

This study sought to examine baseline knowledge of hypertension among the elderly in rural western Chinese villages and to evaluate whether educational programs could improve their knowledge towards better hypertension prevention and management. We conducted a 25-day health education about hypertension, including health lectures, personal consultation and distribution of health pamphlets, etc., for 1182 randomly assigned elderly people in Shaanxi Province, P. R. China, during the period from June to September, 2007. All subjects received a questionnaire-based survey and then a 25-day health education on hypertension. Poor knowledge regarding the causes and preventive measures of hypertension was observed in these aged participants before implementation of the health education. However, their overall knowledge of hypertension was significantly improved after the health education (P<;0.05). Health education can greatly improve knowledge of hypertension, which may help to reduce the risk of hypertension in the elderly.