Understanding Hypertension Management: Knowledge and Beliefs among Indonesian Women

OBJECTIVE: Patient education is an essential aspect of hypertension management, especially among women, and understanding cultural backgrounds and beliefs is significant because they shape how the community perceives hypertension and its treatment. This study aims to explore the level of knowledge about hypertension in women, particularly their understanding of hypertension management. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2022 among older adults with hypertension registered in six different community clusters in Indonesia. The Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale (HK-LS) questionnaire was used to collect knowledge data along with demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The vast majority agreed that high systolic and diastolic blood pressure from measurement indicates an increased blood pressure (91,27%). They are also aware that hypertension can cause several complications such as early death (93,27%), vision problems (80,55%), stroke (79,30%), heart disease (70,57%), and renal failure (55,86%) if left untreated. A contradiction in the respondent's beliefs was observed in disease management. While most respondents agree that the medication should be taken daily and for a lifetime (92,77%), most respondents also agree that lifestyle changes are unnecessary if the medication can control blood pressure (92,27%). CONCLUSION: This study revealed mixed knowledge and beliefs about hypertension, particularly in the aspect of disease management, in which there is contradictory knowledge that lifestyle changes and medication are two different aspects as separate components in hypertension management.