Graduation Semester and Year
Summer 2026
Language
English
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Christi Nguyen
Second Advisor
Dr. Yungfei Kao
Abstract
African American adults have the highest incidence of uncontrolled hypertension (HTN), leading to premature cardiovascular death in Texas and worldwide. In a South Texas cardiac clinic, over 90% of African American adults with HTN also have obesity, compared with 55% of their Caucasian counterparts. The most prevalent factor affecting this group is poor understanding of blood pressure management, which leads to nonadherence to dietary and exercise recommendations, medication regimens, and blood pressure monitoring. The objective was to determine whether lifestyle modification using a hypertensive bundle would improve blood pressure management among African American adults in the clinical setting. The initiative spanned eight weeks and included education on medication adherence, daily blood pressure logging, weekly weight monitoring, and adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet with dietitian support. Results showed positive lifestyle behavioral changes, which translated into improved weight, adherence to the DASH Diet, and blood pressure control. Implications for nursing practice support patient education to promote healthy lifestyle outcomes.
Keywords
African American lifestyle modification, Uncontrolled HTN in African Americans, Improving blood pressure control with lifestyle modifications, Improving blood pressure in African Americans
Disciplines
Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Leonard, Tasha, "Improving Blood Pressure Control through Lifestyle Modification in African Americans Adults with Uncontrolled Hypertension" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects. 16.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/nursing_dnpprojects2/16
Included in
Education Commons, Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons