Receipt of Chronic Disease Management Information Predicts Adherence to Exercise Recommendation Among Older Adults Diagnosed with High Blood Pressure

Background: Adherence to exercise recommendations helps lower and control blood pressure. This becomes especially important for older adults (60 years or older) who are taking medication for controlling their high blood pressure (HBP). Little is known about whether receiving chronic disease management information is associated with adherence to exercise recommendation given by a doctor.

 Method: Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (2012) (N=1260) was examined to determine whether receipt of chronic disease management information is associated with adherence to exercise recommendation among individuals (60 years and older) diagnosed with HBP. Covariates included in the logistic regression were: socio-demographic factors (sex, marital status, income, race / ethnicity) and self-reported health.

Result: Of those who receive advice for exercise from doctor, only 76.7 % (95% CI, 72.4 – 80.4) adhere to exercise recommendation. Univariate analysis indicated that receipt of chronic disease management information is significantly associated with adherence to exercise recommendation. Covariate-adjusted logistic model suggested that receipt of chronic disease management information is a strong predictor of outcome. Those who reported receiving information were more than two times (OR=2.7, 95% CI, 1.4 – 5.0) likely to report adherence to doctor’s recommendation for exercise compared to those who did not receive the information.

Conclusion: The receipt of information on chronic disease management, regardless of source, serves as an added encouragement to adhere to exercise recommendation. Older adults with high BP should be encouraged to seek information on chronic disease management since this is also likely to increase adherence to exercise recommendations.