Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

7-23-1976

Abstract

The phenomenon of patient noncompliance with hypertensive treatment regimes is clearly documented and detrimental to optimal treatment and control of hypertension. This study represented an effort to add yet another approach to the problem of noncompliance. The central question formulated for this study was: can a program of behavior modification, applied in a clinical setting, increase knowledge and change behavior significantly to comply with hypertensive regimes? A Hypertension Clinic was organized and conducted over three months. A total of thirty-three hypertensive patients comprised three groups: one attention-placebo group, one experimental group and one control group. Group sizes were sixteen, thirteen and four in that order. The dependent measures included diastolic blood pressure readings and pre- and posttest questionnaire results. Data were obtained on all participants and analyzed in terms of knowledge about hypertension and illness behavior. Three hypotheses were tested:

Hypothesis 1: Patients who are exposed to a procedure of behavior modification combined with patient education will increase on knowledge scores about hypertension more than patients exposed to an attention-placebo procedure; the attention-placebo patients will increase on knowledge scores more than patients not exposed to either procedure. An analysis of covariance indicated significant differences among groups, F (2, 32) = 5.428, p < .01. A Scheffe post hoc comparison test failed to indicate significant mean differences between the effects of the treatment groups.

Hypothesis 2: Patients who are exposed to a procedure of behavior modification combined with patient education will lower diastolic blood pressure readings more than patients exposed to an attention-placebo procedure; the attention-placebo patients will lower readings more that patients not exposed to either procedure. Results of an analysis of covariance failed to reveal significant differences among groups in lowered blood pressure.

Hypothesis 3: Patients who are exposed to a procedure of behavior modification combined with patient education will decrease cigarette smoking and increase weight loss more than patients exposed to the attention­placebo procedure. T-tests failed to indicate significant mean differences between groups.

The findings reported are subject to the limits of reliability and objectivity of the data generated from this study. The internal and external validity of the research design provided limited control of the variables and the study results should be interpreted with caution. The implications of this study reflected the complexities of modifying human behavior. The outcome of this study presented another perspective in the patient education process. The continued pursuit of applied learning theory approaches to modifying maladaptive behaviors should be further explored in a health care setting to determine the full potential of behavioral management in disease states.

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Health Education

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences

First Committee Member (Chair)

Ella May Small

Second Committee Member

Elaine Jeannette Stone

Third Committee Member

Mary Bierman Harris

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