The purposes of this study are to characterize Chinese immigrants with hypertension (HPT) who are taking prescribed HPT medications; to develop and pilot-test cultural measures of health perceptions, health behaviors and social support; to describe Chinese immigrants' health perceptions of HPT and its treatment, health behaviors and social support; to examine the extent to which perceptions, activity (self-care) and social support are correlated with medication compliance. The study will use a cross-sectional design. Four data collection approaches will be used: medical record abstraction, measurement development, self-report questionnaires and blood pressure measurement. A convenience sample will be used to recruit 130 Chinese immigrants with HPT who are currently taking prescribed Western HPT medications. The questionnaires measure cultural factors (health perceptions and behaviors, and social support) and medication compliance. These are derived from a pilot study with individual interviews and a focus group. All questionnaires will be pre-tested with five Chinese immigrants to determine the appropriateness of content, wording and response choices. After pre-testing, the questionnaires will be modified. All questionnaires will be administered to the entire sample. Chinese immigrants' perceptions of HPT and use of Chinese and Western medicine will be described. A logistic regression model of cultural factors will be established for medication compliance. The knowledge gleaned from this study will help develop culturally sensitive health education materials and HPT management interventions. ? ?
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