A comparative study on the health‑promoting behaviors of patients with and without hypertensive heart disease in Iran

Health‑promoting behaviors can affect the psychological and physical consequences of hypertension. For the prevention and control of hypertension, lifestyle modification has been recommended. This study aimed to investigate the health‑promoting behaviors of patients with hypertensive heart disease in Iran and compare them with those of healthy people.

This was a descriptive comparative study with cross‑sectional design. Participants were 141 patients with hypertensive heart disease (mean age = 39 ± 10.2 years) referred to the cardiac clinic of Madani Hospital in Khorramabad, Iran, and 141 healthy people selected from those referred to the hospital. The Persian version of the revised Health‑Promoting Lifestyle Profile‑II (HPLP‑II) was used to evaluate the health‑promoting behaviors of participants. After collecting data, they were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 software using descriptive statistics and statistical tests including independent t‑test and one‑way ANOVA.

The overall HPLP‑II score was 142.34 ± 30.48 in patients and 150.52 ± 37.07 in controls. The highest and lowest HPLP‑II dimension scores in both groups were related to health responsibility and stress management dimensions. There was a significant difference between groups only in dimensions of nutrition (P = 0.017) and physical activity (P = 0.016), and in the overall score (P = 0.044), whose scores were lower in patients compared to controls. The difference in HPLP‑II score of patients with different demographic characteristics (marital status, place of residence, gender, age, educational level, and occupation) was not statistically significant.

Patients with heart disease caused by high blood pressure in Iran have poorer diet and physical activity compared to healthy people. Educational interventions with a focus on the importance of dietary regime and exercise are recommended for them.