Prevention and management of hypertension in middle-aged and elderly through screening and education (Pre-post intervention)

Maintaining quality of life and physical health in the elderly is crucial for their overall well-being. Hypertension, a prevalent condition among the elderly in Indonesia, requires targeted interventions to mitigate its impact. A quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study was conducted in Bandar Lor, Kediri City, Indonesia, involving 106 elderly participants. The Paguyuban Raga Paruh Baya Lansia Sejahtera (PURABAYA), a senior wellness group program aimed to improve hypertension management through educational sessions on physical activity, nutrition, and hypertension management exercises. The program significantly increased participants' knowledge of physical activity (median increase from 59.62 to 82.69) and nutrition (median increase from 80.51 to 95.38). Systolic blood pressure decreased markedly (median from 173.86 mmHg to 142.53 mmHg), indicating improved hypertension control. However, there was no significant change in diastolic blood pressure. The findings underscore the effectiveness of targeted educational interventions in enhancing health literacy and managing systolic blood pressure among the elderly. The PURABAYA program's success suggests its potential for scalability and adaptation to broader public health initiatives.