Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of health education intervention for the control of blood pressure (BP) in older adults with hypertension.
Methods: Five databases were searched in March 2018 for randomized controlled trials to manage hypertension in older adults by health education. The primary outcomes were changes in systolic and diastolic BP. RevMan5 was used for meta-analysis.
Results: Seven articles with 1,105 participants were included. In them, 393 (35.56%) older adults participated in health education interventions in the form of courses, and 226 (20.45%), in health education sessions. The meta-analysis suggested an overall reduction in systolic BP after health education courses (SMD, standardized mean difference = 4.80, 95% CI: 7.01-2.59, p < .05). Similar results were observed after health education sessions (SMD = 11.73, 95% CI: 17.63-5.82, p < .05). The diastolic BP reduction showed no difference after the health education course (p = .09). The random effects meta-analysis suggested an overall reduction in diastolic BP after health education sessions (SMD = 5.39, 95% CI: 7.98-2.79, p < .05).
Conclusion: Although different health education methods had different effects on hypertension control, overall, educational interventions can potentially lead to improved BP control.
Keywords: health education; hypertension; meta-analysis; older adults.
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