Abstract P348: Evaluation of Check. Change. Control. in the Asian American & Pacific Islander Community

Abstract

Background: Heart Disease is the #1 cause of death and stroke is #3 for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) 65 years and older. Approx. 21% of deaths among certain AAPIs are due to high blood pressure (HBP). In response, the Western States Affiliate (WSA)-American Heart Association (AHA) adapted our evidence-based self-monitoring community program to reduce and control HBP with AAPI senior citizens. Blood pressure (BP) awareness, treatment and control remains suboptimal among US adults with hypertension. Objectives: We evaluated the efficacy, acceptability, and cultural relevancy among Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Pacific Islander older adults in California and Washington. Methods: We collaborated with 4 community-based AAPI organizations and recruited 800+ AAPI senior citizens. We used a multi-pronged evaluation approach including pre and post surveys to determine existing lifestyle partners and readiness to change, health assessments to identify risk factors, monthly self-monitoring blood readings, and aggregated biometric data to demonstrate progress towards control and HBP reduction. Results: At baseline, more than 30% of participants experienced high blood pressure. There were significant reductions in both SBP and DBP overall and especially among those with elevated BP at baseline. SBP drop changes varied by site and by ethnic group from baseline to final visit. Each site implemented adapted self- monitoring program for cultural relevancy and readiness level. Conclusion: Adapting our self-monitoring program had a significant impact in reducing BP for AAPI participants, especially among those with elevated BP at baseline. Further study is needed across multiple sites and AAPI ethnicities.