e-Counseling Promotes Blood Pressure Reduction and Therapeutic Lifestyle Change in Hypertension

Reducing Risk With E-based Support for Adherence to Lifestyle Change in Hypertension

This proposed clinical trial, REACH, will enroll 538 persons with hypertension. All subjects will continue with their prescribed medications. Our main objective is to assess whether preventive e-counseling (provided through a website of the Heart and Stroke Foundation) improves blood pressure and cardiovascular risk status over a 12-month interval. REACH will also evaluate improvement in lifestyle behaviors that include diet, exercise, smoking, and adherence to prescribed medications. Finally, we will quantify the amount of e-counseling support that is required during REACH to evoke a significant reduction in blood pressure. It is hypothesized that e-Counseling (vs. Control) will significantly improve blood pressure and lifestyle behaviours at the 12-month assessment. The findings of this trial will provide information that is critical to our understanding of how internet-based programs can help to improve blood pressure and to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age: 35-74 years
• Diagnosis of hypertension: Medication or physician confirmation
• Baseline BP in lab: >=140/90 (if no meds); >=130/85 (if on meds)
• If medications, prescription unchanged >=2 months Comprehension of English (oral and written)

Exclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of clinically significant arrhythmia, sleep apnea, kidney disease, major psychiatric illness (eg. psychosis), alcohol or drug dependence in the previous year; institutional residence, or an inability to comprehend English