Diet and Lifestyle Risk Factors Associated with Incident Hypertension in Women - Essay Example

"Diet and Lifestyle Risk Factors Associated with Incident Hypertension in Women" is a perfect example of a paper on food and nutrition. The presentation evaluates the relationship between exercise and blood pressure as well as the relationship between a two-gram sodium diet and blood pressure.  The investigation targets female employees aged between 30 and 60 who have no medical contradictions and have a BP of less than 120/80 mmHg and not more than 150/90 mmHg, in an acute care hospital in Evansville. The research will be integrated with skills from aerobics instructor and dietician who will offer clinical expertise. Actually, the presentation is excellent and includes most of the EBP sequential steps.

             This study is crucial since in accordance with Pierdomenico (2008) two-thirds of people under the age of 60 normally experience at least mild high blood pressure, and the risk is higher in women. Actually, in 2008, hypertension is blamed for 34,229 female deaths alone. Despite the fact that proper care will reduce death cases, it is also going to reduce the cost of hypertension healthcare. Consequently, the study will offer applicable problem-solving techniques that are inherent in the context of caring and consequently leads to best decision making in addition to the best outcomes for high blood pressure patients together with their families.

            Evidently, the study takes advantage of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), taking into consideration the 5 sequential steps of EBP, and therefore very relevant to the course. First, it asks a clinical question in a PICO format (Patient population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome). That is “ in women aged 30 to 60 working in a metropolitan hospital (P), how does participating in an extensive program 3-5 days per week (I) compared to 2-gram sodium diet (C) affect blood pressure levels (O) in a 2 months period.

            Secondly, the EBP process involves searching for the best evidence that will provide an answer to the PICO question. The level II evidence presented includes,  the fact that there is a relationship between body mass index and hypertension in women, as well as the research, found out that increased degrees of exercise for more than a period of six months decrease BP among menopausal women. Moreover, moderate-intensity exercise had an impact on resting blood pressure. Programs such as cardiovascular health promotion programs in middle aged women, in addition to lifestyle modifications, had significant positive effects in reducing blood pressure, total cholesterol, and blood sugar. A low sodium diet was also found to greatly reduce blood pressure, as well as DBP and SBP.

            Consequently, the third step is a critical appraisal of the evidence found in the literature search.  In particular research, the results are valid and are in line with, Forman, Stampfer, and Curhan (2009), the conclusion that hypertension there is a relationship between body mass index and hypertension in women, as well moderate-intensity exercise has an impact on resting blood pressure. This signifies that the results of the study are close to the truth. Moreover, they are meaningful, reliable, and clinically relevant to the patients if applied.

            More importantly, the fourth step in EBP is where the sufficiency of the evidence is addressed. Since the evidence is reliable and applicable, then it needs to be integrated with the clinician’s expertise. Since there is no provision for the inclusion of patient preferences, it will be crucial in the process in order to achieve a quality decision regarding the patient's care. The final step of EBP will call for an evaluation of the clinical outcome in a healthcare provider's own setting. This involves considering the most appropriate outcomes that will subsequently translate to successful evidence implementation. In conclusion, the presentation is excellent and includes most of the EBP sequential steps.

 

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