ABSTRACT
Background: Hypertension had started posing as a big threat to the health of the people because it was causing a lot of cardiovascular morbidity as well as mortality in the world. Lifestyle changes were proved to be effective and non-pharmacologic ways of controlling blood pressure in addition to pharmacological treatment. These changes consisted of dietary complementation, physical activities, weight control, stop smoking, and constrained intake of alcohol. Although there were some guidelines, the extent to which they should be followed and the extent to which they affect the outcome of blood pressure in a clinical setting was unpredictable and unexplored.
Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of lifestyle interventions in the treatment of hypertension between the patients visiting CMC Teaching Hospital at SMBBMU Larkana.
Methods: The observational study was carried out, between May 2024 and June 2025, at CMC Teaching Hospital, SMBBMU Larkana. One hundred and ten hypertensive patients aged between 30-70 years were recruited using the non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the information about data that involved demographics, lifestyle habits, readings of blood pressure, and adherence to lifestyle change factors such as dietary modifications, physical exercise, smoking behavior, and ethanol consumption. Blood pressure was taken at the initial point (baseline), and at 6 months follow up point. The SPSS version 25 was used in statistical analysis.
Results: In the total of 110 respondents, 62 (56.4 per cent) were males and 48 (43.6 per cent) were females. The ages of many of the participants (67.3%) were between 40 and 60 years. Baseline rate of adherence to recommended lifestyle changes was low and amounted to 38.20 percent. Follow-up by 6 months after intervention and counseling had raised the adherence to 71.8 per cent. The adherent group also showed a large decrease with regard to both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mean SBP: 12.5mmHg; mean DBP: 8.1mmHg, p<0.001). The patients who were not adherent revealed small changes. The most important factors were physical activity and dietary salt restriction that can lead to better outcomes.
Conclusion: The alterations in the lifestyle were important in the successful management of hypertension. Blood pressure control was rates a lot better because of the better adherence due to constant counseling and follow up. The inclusion of structured lifestyle intervention programs into the managing of hypertension in addition to medical care must be regarded as another vital step towards BOA management.
Keywords: Hypertension, Lifestyle modifications, Blood pressure control, Physical activity, Dietary changes, Patient adherence.