Conceptualizing hypertension: A developmental trend in school children

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The exponential rise in the prevalence of hypertension signals the urgent need to focus the attention on hypertension prevention and management strategies for the vulnerable groups. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the study were to explore children's conceptualization of hypertension and to track its changes in complexity or divergence along classes. METHODS: A mixed methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques was adopted. A total of 776 students of 6th to 12th standard from the schools catering to the need of lower socioeconomic status were recruited. A simple tool with a single open-ended question – “What do you know about hypertension/high blood pressure?” was administered. The responses were coded appropriately and content analyses of the responses were carried out following thematic method. RESULTS: Four broad themes, namely, definition, causes, consequences, and management of hypertension emerged out of content analyses. About 22.57% of responses indicated misconceptions on hypertension. Children's understanding of hypertension, in general, was found to be inadequate. A new method of measuring the conceptual complexity of responses of each class by computing “entropy” values, or “divergent index” indicated progressive increase in complexity of conceptualizing hypertension across classes. CONCLUSION: The need for enhancing children's knowledge of hypertension through curriculum and public health programs is emphasized in view of children constituting the vulnerable group with reference to future projections