Evaluation of Blood Pressure on the Hampton University Campus

Abstract

AbstractApproximately 50 million Americans have hypertension and of this number, 15 million are unaware of their condition. This statistic may suggest that the seriousness of hypertension is still underestimated by many. Untreated hypertension predisposes a person to disease states such as cardiovascular disease and chronic renal failure. Death from stroke and coronary artery disease could be reduced dramatically by treating earlier stages of hypertension. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute determined that treatment of persons with Stages I and II hypertension could reduce deaths from all the diseases stated earlier by 20%. A diastolic pressure above 90 mmHg has been indicated in numerous studies to reduce the life expectancy in persons of all ages, male and female. This study had three objectives. The first objective of this study was to determine if the level of physical activity played a role in modifying systolic blood pressure. The second objective was to determine if those on blood pressu...