The role of community health clubs in preventing stroke in hypertensive patients

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of a pilot implementation of a community health club model for patients with hypertension in stroke prevention. Methods: A controlled intervention study was conducted, with each group consisting of 30 hypertensive patients aged 50-75 years. A community health club was established for the intervention group. Results: After the intervention, only about one-quarter to one-third of participants in the intervention group were non-adherent to medication-related recommendations, whereas this proportion was much higher in the control group, with non-adherence rates reaching 100% for three-quarters of the measured criteria. No significant changes in dietary adherence were observed in either group. The rate of blood pressure control in the intervention group was higher and showed an increasing trend compared to the control group. Specifically, the proportion of patients in the intervention group with controlled blood pressure increased from 70 to 73.3% after 3 months, and to 86.7% after 9 months; in the control group, these figures were 80, 60, and 53.3%, respectively. Conclusion: The community health club plays an important role in enhancing knowledge and treatment adherence among hypertensive patients, thereby contributing to stroke risk prevention.