Food insecurity and effectiveness of behavioral interventions to reduce blood pressure, New York City, 2012-2013

• Published in: Preventing chronic disease Vol. 12; p. E16
• Main Authors: Grilo, Stephanie A, Shallcross, Amanda J, Ogedegbe, Gbenga, Odedosu, Taiye, Levy, Natalie, Lehrer, Susan, Chaplin, William, Spruill, Tanya M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 12.02.2015
• Series: Peer Reviewed
• Subjects: Behavior Therapy - methods; Blood Pressure - physiology; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory - methods; Disease Management; Female; Food Supply; Humans; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertension - physiopathology; Hypertension - rehabilitation; Male; Middle Aged; New York City - epidemiology; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Special Topic; Urban Population; New York City
• ISSN: 1545-1151; 1545-1151
• DOI: 10.5888/pcd12.140368

Food insecurity is associated with diet-sensitive diseases and may be a barrier to successful chronic disease self-management. To evaluate the impact of food insecurity on blood pressure reduction in a pilot clinical trial, we tested the effectiveness of 2 behavioral interventions for hypertension in people with and without food security. A group of 28 men and women with type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled hypertension were randomized to either 1) home blood pressure telemonitoring alone or 2) home blood pressure telemonitoring plus telephone-based nurse case management. The primary outcome was 6-month change in systolic blood pressure. The 2 interventions resulted in modest, nonsignificant blood pressure reductions. Food-secure patients experienced clinically and statistically significant reductions in blood pressure, whereas no significant change was seen among food-insecure patients. Screening for food insecurity may help identify patients in need of tailored disease management interventions.