Search

BACKGROUND Hypertension (HTN) is a leading cause of maternal mortality, and HTN guidelines recommend home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) to help achieve blood pressure (BP) control. Evidence suggests that HBPM be coupled with a care team to maximize its effectiveness. HBPM use and the prevalence of provider counseling in child-bearing age women with HTN are unknown. METHODS We used data from 3,614 women in the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2009–2014 to determine HBPM use and provider counseling for women of child-bearing age (20–50 years) with and without HTN. HBPM use and provider counseling were self-reported. We examined rates of HBPM use by race/ethnicity, poverty–income ratio (PIR), education, and insurance. RESULTS Among women of child-bearing age with HTN, the mean (SE) age was 37.0 (0.3) years, the mean (SE) BMI was 35.5 (0.6) kg/m2, and 73% were on BP medication. Of these women with HTN, 49.6% reported HBPM use in the past year and 40.4% received provider counseling. There was no significant difference in HBPM use by race/ethnicity, PIR, or insurance, though higher education was associated with HBPM use. Women with HTN who received provider counseling were more likely to use HBPM (odds ratio = 15.7, 95% confidence interval 9.1–26.9). CONCLUSIONS Nearly half of child-bearing age women with HTN have adopted HBPM, and provider counseling was strongly associated with HBPM use. This highlights a need and opportunity for providers to improve BP management by supporting a popular and valuable monitoring approach among women of child-bearing age with HTN.

Background: Hypertension (HTN) during pregnancy is a leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and is increasingly prevalent in the United States. Home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring allows for blood pressure surveillance throughout pregnancy and can prompt pregnant women to seek medical attention if their blood pressure exceeds safe thresholds. Objectives: To assess the current practice of HBP reporting in pregnancy. Methods: We enrolled 38 pregnant women at 24-32 weeks gestation with either a chronic HTN diagnosis or systolic blood pressure of 140-159 and 40 pregnant women without HTN between July 2019 and November 2021. Clinic visits (telehealth and in-person) were retrospectively reviewed. Each visit with recordings of HBP was categorized as: exact HBP readings, ranges of readings, or qualitative assessment (e.g., normal) of HBP readings during pregnancy and postpartum. Two-sample test of proportion was used for comparisons. Results: Of the 38 women with HTN, 27 (71%) had at least one recorded HBP in pregnancy or postpartum, compared to 2 (5%) women without HTN. There was a total of 158 prenatal visits with HBP recorded and 39 readings postpartum. Readings were more likely to be reported as an exact HBP in the postpartum period (49%) vs. prenatal period (23%, p = 0.001, Figure ). In the prenatal period, 47% of the visits recording HBP reported a range of readings. Discussion: In this population of pregnant women with HTN, we observed substantial heterogeneity of HBP monitoring and reporting during pregnancy and postpartum. Exact HBP reporting in the postpartum period may be related to fewer postpartum follow-up visits. With an increased focus on remote patient monitoring, digital health tools may be important for standardization of HBP monitoring in clinician reporting. Figure: Number of reports by type prenatal and postpartum. Each mention of HBP monitoring in the medical record was coded as an exact reading reported, a range of readings reported, or a qualitative report (“HBP has been within normal limits”)

Introduction: Heart-healthy diets are important in preventing hypertension (HTN) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), leading causes of preventable maternal mortality. However, perspectives of pregnant people with these conditions on barriers and facilitators of healthy eating are not well established. This study explored these experiences through qualitative feedback. Hypothesis: There are pregnancy-specific barriers and facilitators impacting healthy eating in people with HTN or at risk for HDP. Methods: Pregnant people with HTN or at risk for HDP were recruited from a large academic medical center for an electronic survey assessing barriers and facilitators to healthy eating. Participants answered open-ended questions about barriers to healthy diets and agents for change. Qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Of 46 participants (mean age 31.6 (SD 5.5) years, 35.1% Hispanic), 71.7% (33) responded to the question about barriers to healthy eating, with 56.5% (26) reporting specific barriers and 15.2% (7) reporting no barriers. Major themes for barriers included: (1) lack of education on what is “healthy;” (2) intrinsic factors (i.e., motivation, portion control, food cravings, and food aversions); (3) lack of access due to social determinants (i.e., time, finance, housing, culture and social factors); and (4) current health problems. Furthermore, 67.4% described facilitators to support healthy eating ( Table ), with themes of (1) external support, (2) discipline/routine; (3) increased affordability; and (4) menu/grocery guidance. Conclusion: Given lack of access and food preferences were common barriers to healthy eating, pregnant people with HTN or those at risk for HDP may benefit from food insecurity screening and individualized guidance from healthcare professionals. With personalized meal plans, specific recipes, and ingredient lists attainable in terms of cost, time, and social/cultural factors, these patients may be better supported for healthy eating.

Introduction: Heart healthy diets are important in the prevention and treatment of hypertension (HTN). In pregnant women, the lifestyle barriers to healthy eating are not well-described in literature. Hypothesis: There are personal, environmental, and economic barriers impacting adherence to a healthy diet in pregnant women with HTN, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), or risk factors for HDP. Methods: Pregnant women, aged 20-50 (N=28), diagnosed with HTN, HDP, or risk factors for HDP were recruited from a large academic medical center. Participants completed an electronic survey assessing personal, environmental, and economic barriers to healthy eating. A 5-point Likert scale was used, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Results: The average age of participants was 31.8 (SD=4.5) from urban (34.6%), suburban (34.6%), and rural (30.8%) communities. Finances and time were major barriers to healthy eating, reported by 39.3% and 28.6% of participants, respectively, with 17.8% reporting that they could not afford to eat healthy consistently for all meals (Figure 1). Additionally, 10.7% and 7.1% were unaware of factors promoting healthy eating such as awareness of outside healthy eating resources and confidence in their ability to eat healthy given a new pregnancy. Meanwhile, 28.6% and 17.9% reported ambivalence towards these factors. Conclusion: Time management and financial costs emerged as the greatest challenges to healthy eating in pregnant women with or at risk for HDP. These barriers, in addition to certain factors promoting healthy eating, may represent areas of intervention that can help mitigate the obstacles to healthy eating in this vulnerable group.