Wearable device use increases BP monitoring compliance in elderly: Study

Researchers have found in a new study that older adults exhibited better adherence to wearable device for monitoring blood pressure. The findings of the study have been published in the journal Brain and Behaviour.

Wearable blood pressure (BP) monitor devices are increasingly adopted owing to the promotion of hypertension management program. However, little is known about the adherence and its associated factors in older adults (OAs) with hypertension.

Hypertension, a primary contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD), is more prevalent among older adults (OAs) than young adults . According to the American Heart Association the prevalence of hypertension was estimated to be 34.0% among US adults aged over 20 years, while 67.2% in those aged over 65 years.

Researchers conducted a study to determine factors associated with adherence to wearable BP monitor. In total, 212 Older adults with hypertension in a remote rural area in China were asked to wear a BP monitor over 1-month period. The following information on associated factors for adherence was collected, including demographic characteristics, cardiovascular health measurements, technology fluency, the Compliance of Hypertensive Patients' Scale, and the Health-related Quality of Life Survey. As a result, the mean age of the 212 hypertension participants was 71.32 years (SD = 6.81).