Lifestyle interventions for hypertension treatment among Iranian women in primary health-care settings: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Lifestyle factors such as weight, salt intake, and physical activity have shown to be important in treating hypertension.The object of this study was to describe feasibility and to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent lifestyle intervention on high blood pressure (BP) of Iranian women. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in four health centers by recruiting 161 women aged 35-65 years with high BP and randomizing them to a 4-week lifestyle modification ( n = 80) or control group ( n = 81). BP level and other health behavioral factors were assessed before and after the 4-week intervention and also after 6 months. Results: The mean systolic BP changed from 158.8 (±8.1) mmHg to 153.2 (±6.4) mmHg during 4-week and to 145.5(±4.6)) mmHg after 6 months in the intervention group ( P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between two groups of study after 4-week mean = 5.6 (confidence interval [CI] = 5.1-6.6) and 6 months follow mean (CI = 12.3-14.6).( P < 0.001) A significant correlation was detected between systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) with weight, body mass index, waist circumference, salt intake, and physical activity level ( P < 0.001). Stepwise regression analyses indicated that the weight, dietary salt intake, and physical activity level were significant predictors of SBP and DBP. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that lifestyle modification program is associated with improvements in BP level in Iranian women. Key words: Blood pressure, multicomponent lifestyle, primary health-care centers, physical activity