Introduction
hypertension, Hypertension
HYPERTENSION, HYPERTENSION
More than 10 million individuals aged 18 to 39 years (1 in 5 men; 1 in 6 women) have hypertension,Prior to the My Hypertension Education and Reaching Target (MyHEART) program, there were limited clinical trials dedicated to young adults and hypertension control. Previously, trials predominantly targeted adults aged 50 years or older and focused on medication initiation and titration. In contrast, aggressive lifestyle modifications are commonly the initial treatment step among young adults.To address the critical need for hypertension control in young adults, we conducted focus groups with young adults documenting barriers and knowledge deficits in key elements of hypertension self-management, which informed development of the MyHEART program. MyHEART is a multicomponent, patient-centered, and theoretically based; it includes 4 evidence-based self-management components: (1) telephone-based health coaching with adult education specialists to teach and monitor self-management skills, (2) documentation of coach-patient telephone contacts, (3) individualized hypertension education materials, and (4) home BP monitoring.