Initial knowledge and attitudes as predictors of intervention effects: the individual management plan

This paper addresses questions concerning the effects of patient education strategies to increase adherence to antihypertensive medical regimens. It endeavors to fill gaps in our knowledge about intervention effects that may link research findings with health care applications. Data from a community intervention study of 432 hypertensives are used to address two broad questions relating research on patient education to health care practice: Do interventions have different effects on individuals who differ with respect to initial attitudes or knowledge, and to what extent do interventions produce changes in the factors thought to mediate their effects on behavior? This investigation tests a client-oriented approach to the delivery of interventions, the Individual Management Plan (IMP). The IMP approach is based on the hypothesis that interventions will be differentially effective for individuals with varying levels of initial attitudes and knowledge thought to mediate the effects of the interventions on behavior. Analysis of variance, correlational analyses, and analysis of covariance models are used to test various aspects of this hypothesis. Analyses are performed for adherence to medication regimens, dietary sodium restrictions, and weight-loss recommendations. The results of analyses offer only minimal support for the IMP hypothesis. The state of the art and constraining factors in the study are examined to guide future applications of the IMP approach.