Compliance with home blood pressure monitoring among middle-aged Korean Americans with hypertension

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the level of compliance of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and its relation to blood pressure (BP) control among hypertensive adults in a community setting. A total of 377 middle-aged Korean Americans with high BP participated in this study. Along with structured behavioral education, the participants were instructed to measure their BP 3 times in a row upon waking and thrice again at bedtime, at least 2 or more times a week for 48 weeks. Using multivariate logistic regression, the authors examined the patterns and factors affecting HBPM and its relation to BP control status. The analyses revealed that older participants were more compliant with the HBPM instruction than were younger participants (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 5.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77-15.81) and those with more depressive symptoms were less compliant (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.04-0.88). Participants who were more compliant to HBPM instruction were 4 times more likely than those who were noncompliant to have controlled their BP by the end of the intervention period (OR, 4.28; 95% CI, 1.79-10.23). These results suggest that the participants who checked their BP regularly at home had a stronger tendency to achieve BP control.