Engaging Adolescents to Increase Hypertension Awareness and Knowledge in a Predominantly Hispanic Community.

Abstract

Hispanic people in the United States are less likely to be aware of their hypertension than other racial/ethnic groups. As part of an in-school public health course at a predominately Hispanic high school in New Jersey, students created bilingual hypertension education videos and implemented blood pressure screening and education with adults in their community. Here, we evaluate the project's reach and characteristics of adults, hypertension knowledge change in youth and adults, and confidence in managing high blood pressure in youth. We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics for adult characteristics and student outcomes, and paired t-tests for adult hypertension knowledge change. Eleven 11th graders reached 65 adults. Most students were female (55%), Hispanic (91%), and spoke Spanish at home (82%). Among adults, 59% were male, 88% were Hispanic, 40% spoke Spanish, and 52% had no insurance. Twenty adults (31%) screened in the hypertension range but had not been diagnosed with hypertension. After blood pressure screening and education by the youths, adult hypertension knowledge increased significantly (p < .001). Schools and communities should consider similar projects to engage students and reach populations that face health disparities, such as those with limited English proficiency, for health promotion activities.