Conocimientos y creencias sobre la hipertensión arterial presentes en usuarios de servicios de salud

Resumen

Introduction: According to the Health Beliefs Model, the knowledge and beliefs about Hypertension, would lead to the adoption of healthy behaviours that could reduce the risk of suffering it. Objectives: To identify the level of knowledge about Hypertension and to explore the beliefs about the causes, risk factors and treatments related to the disease. Method: Non-experimental, trans-sectional and descriptive research. Convenient sample consisting of 87 Health Service´s users from Cali, Colombia, who where asked about their knowledge about Hypertension and its risk factors, and their beliefs about the causes, healthy behaviours and treatment of the disease. Results: There is little knowledge about Hypertension and its consequences among the sample, and mistaken beliefs related to the disease as inevitable dace with the ageing and the invulnerability of young people. Conclusions: The wrong information constitute one of the main obstacles for people to adopt healthy behaviours. The mistaken beliefs would interfere with the change of attitudes and behaviours related to health, disease and adherence to treatment. Therefore, there is a need for considering psycho-educative programs consisting of strategies and methologies that promote healthy behaviours and strengthen the personal responsibility in the treatment.