Table 3.

Theme 2: Perceived Ways to Improve Blood Pressure (N = 29).

Subtheme	Factors	Raw data quotes
2a: African American  culture	Eating habits (n = 29)	That pork, we love pork. Not saying that Whites don’t eat pork but we love  pork. The small neck bone, bacon I eat a lot of bacon but you got to cut  back. You take this medicine and then you eat pork, the medicine is not  going to work.
		I try to avoid salt but I use a little salt but I don’t use that much. I try to stay  as natural as I can. Sometimes I use something in a can but I wash it or boil  the salt out of it.
		… they told me about diet and changing things I have eaten in the past, a lot  of it is culture.
	Treatments passed down  (n = 20)	Vinegar works, it does work. I take some myself. I take a capful every  morning with the pressure medicine. I don’t know what the vinegar has to  do with it but it’s a home remedy but it does work.
		I just turn everything over to God and let Him work it out. Pickle juice.
2b: Necessary  changes	Exercise (n = 29)	I’ve tried to do more walking.
		I’ve been exercising, walking 3 times a week. That exercise makes a big  difference.
	Taking medicine (n = 28)	Ya know you have to take your medicine if not you going to have a stroke  or a heart attack.
		They put me on medicine so I just take my medicine every day.
	Reducing stress (n = 21)	That is one of the things we could do is to avoid stress, that would really  help us all out. I know I don’t have any money. Sometimes there are things  that I want and I can’t buy them but the money I get but by the time you  pay your rent you have nothing left. But I can’t let that stress me out.
		I refuse to get into stressful situations or let anything stress me out. So  people could control their blood pressure because it is not just salt it is  stress too … if you refuse to get into stressful situations like that then it  can maintain ourselves because I refuse to let anything or anybody stress  me and my blood pressure.
	Avoiding substances (n = 17)	I don’t drink alcohol anymore and I don’t smoke.
		I used to smoke but I haven’t had a cigarette in about 20 years.
	Losing weight (n = 9)	I’ve got to keep my weight down.