Abstract 13183: Effectiveness of a Telehealth-Based Behavioral Lifestyle Program for Hypertension Control in African Americans: Results From Heals Med-Tech Randomized Controlled Study

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a great concern because of its widespread prevalence, and associated racial health disparities. HTN is higher among African Americans (AAs) than whites. Among the many barriers to control HTN is poor adherence to needed lifestyle changes. The efficacy-tested HEALS Med-Tech behavioral lifestyle HTN control program may provide some solutions. We present the findings from the 1-year HEALS Med-Tech program in AAs. Methods: This is a randomized control community trial implemented in a primary care setting. HEALS Med-Tech program includes a) HEALS (Healthy Eating and Living Spiritually), a 12-month program modified from DASH and PREMIER programs; b) Med-component provides medications and social support; and c) Tech-component provides interactive telehealth contact. Primary outcomes of interest is change in systolic BP (SBP). Mixed Model repeated measure method was used for outcome analysis. Results: 61 participants (50 females, 11 males) were enrolled and randomized to either HEALS Med-Tech or standard care (control). Participants’ mean age is 62.8 ± 10.8 years, majority (90%) had a family history of CVD and 26.5% had diabetes. At the baseline, the SBP was 139.52 mmHg and 146 mmHg for the HEALS and control groups, respectively (Figure 1), which significantly reduced after 1 year (p=0.0134) in HEALS group. Similarly, the DBP was 82.78 mmHg and 84.32 mmHg for HEALS and control groups, respectively, at the baseline (not shown). For DBP and SBP, the results showed a significant difference between the HEALS and Control groups at 6 and 12 weeks. Conclusion: HEALS Med-Tech behavioral lifestyle program could serve as an effective and sustainable model for BP among marginalized AAs. There is a need for implementation studies of longer duration, such as HEALS Med-Tech, to address social determinants for the programs to be sustainable. Further research is needed to explore the potential implementation of HEALS Med-Tech program into clinical practice.