The effects of a health behavior modification program on blood pressure levels, health behaviors, and quality of life in individuals at risk of hypertension.

Abstract

      This experimental research aimed (1) to develop a health behavior modification program by integrating executive function concepts with the Health Belief Model to enhance health behaviors and quality of life among individuals at risk of hypertension, and (2) to examine the effects of the developed program. The sample consisted of 75 males and females aged 35–59 years, selected using purposive sampling. Participants were divided into three groups: Experimental Group 1 received the newly developed program integrating executive function concepts with the Health Belief Model; Experimental Group 2 received a program based on the Health Belief Model; and the control group received standard care. The intervention lasted 12 weeks. Research instruments included the health behavior modification program, an executive function assessment, a health belief questionnaire, a health behavior assessment, and a quality-of-life questionnaire. Data were analyzed using dependent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and one-way ANCOVA.

      The findings indicated that the developed program had overall appropriateness at a high level (mean = 3.88). The health behavior assessment demonstrated excellent content validity (S-CVI=1.00) and good reliability (α=0.873). After the intervention, Experimental Group 1 showed statistically significant improvements in executive function scores, health belief scores, and health behavior scores at the .001 level, along with a significant reduction in blood pressure. Between-group comparisons revealed that Experimental Group 1 had significantly higher executive function and health behavior scores than the other groups at the .001 level. However, quality-of-life scores among the three groups were not significantly different.