Hypertension risk perceptions, hypertension knowledge, and health value as predictors of health promotion behaviors in African-American university students

This study examined the combined effects of hypertension risk perceptions and health value on health promotion behaviors and assessed hypertension knowledge in African-American university students. This study also examined the ability of risk perceptions to predict health promotion behaviors. The theoretical framework used for this research was the Health Belief Model. Study variables were examined using a demographic questionnaire, Hypertension Knowledge Test, Hypertension Risk Perception Scale, Health Value Scale (HVS), and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II). Due to the low reliability of the Hypertension Knowledge Test, this measure was not used in any inferential statistical analyses. Overall, the majority of the participants could not identify the normal blood pressure value for healthy adults. A frequency analysis revealed that only 29% of the participants accurately identified the recommended blood pressure level by the American Heart Association, while 27% percent reported knowing their blood pressure levels and the actions necessary in maintaining a healthy blood pressure. As far as the predictive ability of the criterion variables, multiple regression analyses revealed that health value was the only significant predictor of health promotion behaviors (e.g., overall health promoting lifestyle, health responsibility, and interpersonal relations). These results suggest that health value is an important factor that significantly contributes to certain aspects of a health promoting lifestyle in African-American university students, while hypertension risk perceptions are less likely to promote healthy ways of living.