Compliance in dietary management of hypertension.

Relapse is a problem common to all behavior-change programs, including weight-reduction and salt-restriction programs. The process of relapse can be understood in the context of the way that emotional, social, and environmental forces impinge upon the individual's behavior. The data on compliance suggest that behavior modification programs are moderately efficient in producing changes in eating behavior. Relapse prevention programs are recommended as part of a dietary approach to the treatment of hypertension to increase treatment efficiency. If these programs are implemented using a group format, then these services can be delivered to patients at a reasonable cost.