The Analysis of the Hypertension in African Americans - Research Proposal Example

? Effective Management of Hypertension in African Americans Effective Management of Hypertension in African Americans Hypertension is a major health problem which affects one-third of adults in the United States. Out of this, the majority are African Americans compared with other racial groups. In 2002, the overall US mortality rate associated with high blood pressure was 17.1% (American Heart Association, 2005). With regard to race and gender, African Americans had a disproportionately high Bp related death rate of 49.6% and 40.5% for African American men and women respectively as compared with 14.4% and 13.7% for white men and women (American Heart Association, 2005). For a long time, the high prevalence of hypertension (HTN) among the African Americans has not been fully examined through extensive research. Instead, conclusions have been made regarding the various treatment procedures. However, the incidences of associated complications have taken their toll on the patients and the treatment they get. A great deal of literature has emerged on the need for extensive research on ways of ensuring that each individual maintains good health, especially those with higher chances of getting cardiovascular ailments (Howard, Carson, Holmes, & Kaufman, 2009). Most of this research has been generalized with very few African Americans involved in the research case studies. The few that were integrated were used to generalize for the entire African American population. This was inconclusive in many ways since there are a number of attributes that were largely ignored. The efficacy of anti-hypertensive drugs in managing hypertension in African Americans is not well studied. The proposed intervention to effectively manage hypertension in African Americans is a combination therapy of thiazide diuretics and any other antihypertensive agent. Background Research on the African American community and their prevalence rates in relation to HTN has been quite shallow with few researchers dwelling on the effects of HTN on them. In 2004, for instance, 47% of African American women, compared to 31% of white women, were diagnosed with high blood pressure (Wang, Y., & Wang, Q.J., 2004). The need for its management has not been met with much zeal despite the high death rates related to the coronary heart diseases resulting from HTN. It is said that coronary diseases and related complications are more prevalent amongst African American women (7.8%) compared to African American men (7.1%) (Fongwa et al., 2008). Whites, on the other hand, have a lower prevalence rate of 34.4% compared to 36% for African American women and 29.9% for African American men in relation to control of blood pressure (Flack et al., 2010). In 2005, the number of HTN related deaths (per 100,000) were 15.1 for white men, 51 for African American men, 15.1 for white women and 40.9 for African American women (Flack et al., 2010). There is noted relativism amongst the whites but higher disparities compared to the African Americans. Therefore, the need to target the African-American population should not be downplayed at all. Barriers such as the psychosocial ones also need to be reviewed to ensure that each patient understands the importance of participating fully in the treatment regimen. The regimens will also be advised in relation to the genetic information acquired by the healthcare provider to ensure that the effects of the treatment are immediate and consistent. Since research began on the effects of HTN in relation to ethnicity, the management programs have changed to suit the new advancements in research. New discoveries such as the importance of factoring in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have led to new research methods to help patients suffering from HTN and heart failure (Demede, 2011). However, most of the research articles have dwelt mainly on the effects of the system and the sociological attributes that lead to barriers in the management of HTN amongst the African American community. Interventions required for the prevention have also been researched and reviewed by several authors though little has been said about the prevalence of HTN cases amongst the African American female population. This existing gap in literature shows that the use of thiazides and more so diuril is by no more than 45% of eligible older patients. Many believe that despite their low costs, they have remained in low use. The need to narrow the gap cannot be underestimated given the increasing number of people suffering from HTN. Further, the new developments on the management of HTN will inform the bulk of this report in dealing with genetic or physiological attributes that may result from the study (Magill et al., 2003). This report will be of great assistance, therefore, to the healthcare providers in understanding the main reasons for increased prevalence amongst the African Americans. The appropriate medical regimens will be sourced and explained in a bid to ensure the nursing fraternity understands the importance of treating the root cause rather than the symptoms alone. It will also provide a practical, evidence-based tool for achieving HTN goals amongst the African American community (Howard, Carson, Holmes, & Kaufman, 2009). This implies its potentiality in creating new sources of knowledge that would be helpful in the long-run treatment of HTN patients. More research can be conducted to ascertain the facts stated herein with more patients being included to help identify any requisite details that were initially ignored. Therefore, for a nurse, the evidence attained herein will assist in the general care of the patients as well as advance new literature on African American community and their prevalence to treatment regimes in HTN healthcare. Problem/Purpose The purpose of the study is to come up with ideal means of managing HTN amongst African Americans using a combination therapy of thiazide diuretics and any other antihypertensive agent. The independent variables to be used include a sample of thiazide diuretics and a population of selected African Americans. The dependent variables will be the population. The population of interests will be the African American. The independent variable will be chlorothiazide diuretic in this case Diuril. Identification of the Research The research will be on the effective management of HTN among the African Americans. Use of chlorothiazide diuretic in this case Diuril has been seen to lower BP and, as a result reduces, the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Though there is evidence on the reduction of risk amongst different ethnic groups, the application of these therapies has not been documented critically among the African Americans. Further, there are studies that show the efficacy of the diuretics over antihypertensive therapy, but none have been in relation to the African Americans (Duarte & Cooper-DeHoff, 2010). As a result, the report will look into the reaction of hypertensive African Americans to the use of both and document the best for this group. Synthesis of Literature Over the last five years, there has been a noted resurgence of interest in the community-oriented primary care model especially amongst the public health workers and researchers. Many believe that coming up with ideal goals and measures that define and improve healthcare will be essential in assisting the many hypertensive individuals who have been neglected for long (Plescia & Groblewski, 2004). With the minority being the worst affected, coming up with therapeutic means of assisting the affected is a critical step towards the right direction. But many researchers have shown direct connection between the risk of heart failure and hypertension to genes (Demede, Pandey, Innasimuthu, Jean-Louis, McFarlane, & Ogedegbe, 2011). They show that African Americans are at a higher risk of exhibiting heart failure tendencies as a result of the presence of polymorphisms in both the Read More