Table 1. Baseline characteristics of participating patients.
| Study patient | Intervention (n=63) | Control (n =40) | p* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 58.7 ± 13.5 | 63.4 ± 13.4 | 0.111 |
| Male, n (%) | 34 (54.0) | 24 (60.0) | 0.548 |
| Married, n (%) | 40 (64.5) | 25 (62.5) | 0.836 |
| Employed, n (%) | 30 (48.4) | 16 (40.0) | 0.406 |
| ≥1 burden in daily life, n (%) | 37 (59.7) | 25 (62.5) | 0.776 |
| – Stress at work, n (%) | 27 (43.5) | 8 (20.0) | 0.014 |
| – Concerns about family issues, n (%) | 10 (16.1) | 10 (25.0) | 0.271 |
| – Physically strenuous work, n (%) | 13 (21,0) | 5 (12.5) | 0.273 |
| – Overtime at work, n (%) | 8 (12.9) | 6 (15.0) | 0.764 |
| – Noise, dust, gases, fumes, n (%) | 10 (16.1) | 4 (10.0) | 0.380 |
| – Concerns about job security, n (%) | 6 (9.7) | 5 (12.5) | 0.748 |
| – Rotating shifts/night shift, n (%) | 8 (12.9) | 3 (7.5) | 0.521 |
| Poor subjective health status, n (%) | 25 (40.3) | 20 (50.0) | 0.337 |
| BMI, kg/m², mean ± SD | 30.9 ± 6.0 | 30.8 ± 6.6 | 0.986 |
| Regular physical activity, n (%) | 28 (45.9) | 14 (35.9) | 0.323 |
| Smoker, n (%) | 17 (27.9) | 5 (12.8) | 0.076 |
| Years since first hypertension diagnosis, mean ± SD | 8.6 ± 8.3 | 9.5 ± 8.8 | 0.612 |
| Regular BP self-checks, n (%) | 37 (62.7) | 25 (62.5) | 0.983 |
| Receives antihypertensive(s), n (%) | 61 (96.8) | 37 (92.5) | 0.374 |
| Number of antihypertensive agents, mean ± SD | 2.7 ± 1.7 | 2.8 ± 1.6 | 0.858 |
| Resistant hypertension, n (%) | 28 (44.4) | 24 (60.0) | 0.124 |
| Diagnosis of ≥1 hypertension-related secondary disease and/or diabetes mellitus type 2, n (%) | 34 (54.0) | 24 (60.0) | 0.548 |
| – Diabetes mellitus type 2, n (%) | 23 (37.1) | 17 (45.9) | 0.385 |
| – Coronary heart disease, n (%) | 8 (12.7) | 8 (20.0) | 0.319 |
| – Chronic renal insufficiency, n (%) | 6 (9.8) | 6 (16.2) | 0.361 |
| – Cardiac insufficiency, n (%) | 4 (6.5) | 5 (12.8) | 0.302 |
| – Stroke, n (%) | 6 (9.7) | 2 (5.1) | 0.480 |
| Mental disorder, n (%) | 18 (28.6) | 8 (21.1) | 0.402 |
| Secondary hypertension, n (%) | 7 (11.3) | 5 (13.5) | 0.758 |
Percentages are reported for valid cases.SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure
*Data of the intervention and the control arm were compared using chi-square tests for categorical variables and t-tests in independent samples for continuous variables