Lifestyle Interventions for the Management of Hypertension in Adults: A Review of Reviews

Introduction: Hypertension is the most pervasive health concern in the U.S. with an estimated prevalence of 29.1–32.6%. Guidelines advise comprehensive treatment of hypertension that should include lifestyle changes. The objective of this review of reviews was to synthesize evidence on lifestyle interventions to reduce blood pressure in adults with essential hypertension and identify how race plays a role in determining which interventions are most effective. Methods: A systematic review of reviews was conducted in PubMed and CINAHL from January 2008 to October 2014 with the following search criteria: (1) major subject heading relating to the disease hypertension, (2) terms related to lifestyle and behavior modification interventions, and (3) systematic review or meta-analysis. Results: The literature search identified 652 citations, of which 10 met the selection criteria. These 10 reviews summarized evidence on 13 interventions that employed the following strategies: self-monitoring, professional support, education, diet, clinic reminders, problem solving, self-management, family involvement, or proactive delivery. The results demonstrated that although some individual strategies were successful in reducing blood pressure, combinations of strategies were the most successful. Discussion: Combinations of intervention strategies to reduce blood pressure are more successful than single strategies. No conclusions could be made about the differential effectiveness of based on race. Future studies need to evaluate which combinations of interventions are most successful to reduce blood pressure.Bachelor of Scienc