Getting to Normal: Women's Experiences Self-Managing Their Perceived Blood Pressure Changes

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Women's Health

Background:

• Hypertension (HTN) affects nearly 25% of US women over 20.
• 30-50% of individuals with HTN experience symptoms linked to high blood pressure (BP).
• Women may use perceived BP changes to guide HTN self-management, though research is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the experiences of women with HTN in self-managing perceived BP changes.
• To gain insight into the subjective experiences of women managing hypertension based on symptom perception.

Main Methods:

• Phenomenology methodology guided this qualitative inquiry.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who believed they could sense BP changes.
• Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in participant experiences.

Main Results:

• Seven Black and 6 white women participated; average age 50.5 years, with 10.76 years of HTN experience.
• A central theme of "getting to normal" emerged, with four subthemes: "I can tell," "tending to it," "the wake-up call," and "doing it right."
• Findings illustrate symptom-driven, day-to-day actions women employ to normalize their BP.

Conclusions:

• New knowledge on women's perception of BP changes and its role in self-management was uncovered.
• Results offer insights for improving patient assessments in clinical practice.
• This study provides a foundation for future research on BP self-management and belief-based interventions.