Effects of an empowerment program for self-management among rural older adults with hypertension in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the effects of an empowerment program for hypertension self-management among rural older adults in South Korea.

DESIGN

A pretest-posttest controlled design for a 12-month hypertension self-management program with assessments at commencement, 6 months and 12 months.

SETTING

Two subsistence farming areas.

PARTICIPANTS

Subsistence farmers aged 65 and over: intervention group (n = 41) and control group (n = 36).

INTERVENTION

Twelve-month empowerment program for hypertension self-management.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Self-efficacy, social support, self-care behaviours, blood pressure control and renal function.

RESULTS

There were significant interactions of group by time for self-efficacy (P < 0.001) and self-care behaviour (P = 0.019). Blood pressure control at 12 months also showed a significant improvement in the empowered group compared with the control group (82.8% versus 56.8%, P < 0.014). Other clinical outcomes, including systolic blood pressure (P = 0.006) and renal function (P < 0.001), showed significant interactions of group by time.

CONCLUSIONS

The empowerment program was effective for rural older adults with hypertension in South Korea. Further investigation of the relationships among core components of empowerment would be beneficial.