Neural Processing of Health Information and Hypertension Self-Management in African Americans.
Carolyn H Still, Anthony I Jack, Kathy D Wright and 2 others
PMID 35302958WHAT IT FOUND
In 16 African Americans with hypertension, brain scans did not show the expected link between health-information processing and self-management.
One home diastolic BP link was found, but self-efficacy, patient activation, and healthy eating were linked to mood and quality of life.
Key findings
01The fMRI-derived neural processing indices were not associated with any measured self-management cognitive processes or behaviors.
02One neural measure, vmPFC, was positively correlated with home diastolic BP (r = .536; p = .09).
03Self-efficacy was inversely associated with depressed mood, and both self-efficacy and patient activation were positively associated with HRQOL.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 16 participants were analyzed, which limits generalizability and increases the chance of spurious findings. The study was exploratory and used a p-value threshold of 0.10, so associations should be read cautiously. The design used cross-sectional baseline data from a pilot trial, so it cannot show that neural processing or self-management caused changes in blood pressure, quality of life, mood, or behaviors. Possible confounders such as number or type of coexisting chronic conditions and perceived social support were not measured. Participants were recruited by convenience sampling from one academic medical center and affiliated clinics, and the sample was predominately female, single, and had some college education. The authors state the vmPFC-home diastolic BP association may be spurious because vmPFC was highly correlated with DMN and office diastolic BP was not correlated.
Declared interests
The paper is labelled Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, and methods state a National Institutes of Health-funded center of excellence. No conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the home diastolic BP link with vmPFC (r = .536; p = .09) as evidence that brain response to health information predicts blood pressure control. The sample had 16 participants, the study was exploratory with a p-value threshold of 0.10, and the authors state this link may be spurious because vmPFC was highly correlated with DMN and office diastolic BP was not correlated.