The Journal of The National Black Nurses Association has accepted the manuscript "Factors associated with self-reported hypertension among Black women" to which Stephanie Ibemere, postdoctoral fellow, contributed. The manuscript is in press.

This study was supported by the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing’s Dean’s Research Award.

The research team conducted a study which aimed to gather data on the health care needs and perceptions of African American women in the Midwest. A long-term goal of this research is to develop an African American women's health collaborative to increase community-based participation in the research while evaluating and attending to the health care needs of this population. This manuscript describes the factors associated with self-reported hypertension in this study sample and provides implications for practice for advanced practice nurse practitioners.

Abstract

A Black woman has an 85.7% chance of developing hypertension in her lifetime, yet she is less likely to be optimally treated. The purpose of this research report is to describe the factors associated with self-reported hypertension in a sample of Black women. A descriptive study was conducted using a researcher-developed survey. Responses were obtained from 201 adult Black women from 19 to 92 years of age. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed. The frequency of self-reported hypertension in the sample was low (n = 54, 27%). The self-report hypertension group was significantly older (p <0.05) and obese (61%). There were significant associations between self-report hypertension and greater income (X2 = 9.24, p = 0.002, phi = 0.232), self-report hypertension and higher education (X2 = 5.66, p = 0.017, phi = 0.182), and self-report hypertension and not having Medicaid (X2 = 5.05, p = 0.025, phi = 0.174). APRNs should stress the importance of routine health screenings and healthy lifestyle behaviors in accordance with patient needs.