Hypertension (HTN) is a major health problem in the U.S. placing some 58 million Americans at increased risk for stroke, myocardial infarction, kidney failure, and peripheral vascular disease. In addition, HTN is associated with subclinical changes in the heart and in the brain. Although pharmacologic management of HTN is often effective, medications are not without complications and untoward side effects. Consequently, there has been a great deal of interest in the development and application of behavioral treatments for the management of HTN. The present study is a single, randomized clinical trial of exercise and weight management with three long term objectives. The first is to evaluate the efficacy of two behavioral interventions--aerobic exercise and weight management--in reducing blood pressure (BP) in people with mild HTN; the second is to examine the mechanisms by which BP is reduced; and the third is to investigate the effects of behavioral treatment on cognitive performance and related aspects of quality of life.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 128 publications