Abstract:

is the major cause for all cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Though controllable, its prevalence has been increasing worldwide as awareness, treatment and control rates are very poor. In India the situation is quite alarming and hence need to be intervened. Aims and Objectives: To determine the knowledge and perceived barriers of hypertensive persons on life style modification practices and to find the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme on the knowledge level. Material and Methods: An evaluative approach with pre experimental design was used for the study. 40 hypertensive adults were selected by purposive sampling technique. Demographic proforma, knowledge checklist and 5 point rating scale were the instruments used for the study. Result: The study revealed that, 19(47.5%) of the hypertensive adults had average knowledge, 18 (45%) had poor knowledge and only 3 (7.5%) had good knowledge. 21 (52.5%) of the hypertensive adults faced severe barriers. Among the barriers, the highest perceived barrier was lack of knowledge (82.27%) and least was lack of social support (53.14%). A significant improvement in the knowledge was found after the administration of the structured teaching programme (t cal value = 22.22> t tab (39) = 1.68, p<0.05). Conclusion: Education is a key component in bringing about changes in health care behavior. The present study calls for strengthening of public education system which plays a vital role in health promotion and disease progression. Key words: Knowledge, perceived barriers, hypertension, lifestyle modification, planne