Building a Multidisciplinary Research Program to Address Hypertension Disparities: Exploring the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of a Self-Management Intervention for African American Women
Building a Multidisciplinary Research Program to Address Hypertension Disparities: Exploring the Neurocognitive Mechanisms of a Self-Management Intervention for African American Women
The goal of this project is to develop and pilot test a research protocol to assess the influence of a health information behavior enhanced intervention on self-management, blood pressure control, and brain activity in African American women with hypertension. This work will identify characteristics of African American women that are associated with improved self-management and decreased blood pressure, and subsequent reduction of risk of heart disease and premature death. The results of this project will have direct impact in informing interventions to improve blood pressure control, by advancing our knowledge of brain activity associated with behavior change in African American women with hypertension in the metro-Detroit area, and ultimately everywhere.
Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria are (a) aged >18, (b) clinically diagnosed with hypertension, and (c) right-handed (due to potential differences in brain morphology compared to left-handed individuals).
-
Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion criteria are (a) history of renal insufficiency, (b) score less than 22 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), and (c) having one of the following contraindications for fMRI: heart pacemaker, heart defibrillator, metal in the eye, and some types of metal elsewhere within the body such as certain surgical clips for aneurysms in the head, heart valve prostheses, electrodes, and some other implanted devices, pregnant. We require a score of >22 on the MOCA to assure that subjects are able to participate cognitive procedures.
-