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Research Question of Hypertension

Name: Linda Holmes

Institution Affiliation: Rasmussen University

Date: October 15, 2021

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Research Question of Hypertension

What is the Health Literacy for Hypertension in Pregnancy among Women Attending

Antenatal Services?

Reasons for Choosing the Research Question

The topic of hypertension in pregnancy is essential for solving health problems and as an

academic requirement. The research question is the eye-opener to the solutions of hypertensive

disorders in pregnancy, particularly the desirable outcome of the mother and the baby. The

research question integrates pregnancy with the hypertension concepts: the signs and symptoms,

medications, and demographic factors (Abalos et al., 2018). I chose the research question of

hypertension knowledge in pregnancy because it is a silent killer disease. I have read many

journals that emphasize the importance of preventing the development of hypertension in

pregnancy and found them fascinating. The obtaining of information on hypertension literacy

entails the identification of the study method. It then explores on literature review, which is the

knowledge on signs and symptoms of hypertension in pregnancy, the adherence to medication, and

the risk factors for hypertension in pregnancy which are the gaps in the research.

Type of Research which is Suitable

In answering the research question, selecting the research type is essential for the adorable

and acceptable results. There is a need to be clear, precise, and concise. The research process in

exploring the research question will be suitable to apply the quantitative research approach. The

quantitative approach is essential in the collection, quantification, and analysis of the data. The

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approach entails the provision of written questionnaires to the women in the antenatal clinic. The

data obtained are entered into the analysis tool to generate results and bring sense out of data.

Literature Review

The literature review focuses on hypertension awareness and the related concepts. The

essential and related information is the signs and symptoms of hypertension in pregnancy,

awareness, medication compliance, and the associated maternal factors. A discussion at the end

will integrate the concepts to bring out meaning. Blood pressure exceeding 140/90mmHg is

defined as hypertension in pregnancy, and these elevations are utilized to diagnose hypertension

disorders during pregnancy. High blood pressure (without proteinuria), preeclampsia (with

proteinuria), and eclampsia or preeclampsia with seizures are the three types of gestation

hypertension that emerge after twenty weeks of pregnancy in a mother who previously had normal

blood pressure (Behrens et al., 2017). The severity of the clinical symptoms varies.

Severe hypertension raises the mother's chance of a heart attack, sudden cardiac death,

cardiovascular accident, and kidney failure, as well as the fetus's risk of preterm birth and

insufficient oxygen exchange across the membrane (George et al., 2016). Because wellbeing

behavior is related to lower occurrence of hypertension in pregnancy, maternal characteristics such

as level of education influence the development of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, those with

primary education were more cognizant of hypertension than those without primary education in

most parts of the world, according to reports (Hoeltzenbein et al., 2018). The importance of

preventative in any situation cannot be underestimated.

Discussion and Integration of various Literature

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According to World Health Organization, information on the signs and symptoms of

hypertensive disorders in pregnancy should be provided to pregnant women attending antenatal

clinics using leaflets and health talks to seek medical help early to prevent complications (Webster

et al., 2019). Hypertension medications compliance during pregnancy is essential to avoid maternal

and fetal complications and promote good fetal and maternal outcomes (Hughson et al., 2018).

However, most pregnant women do not adhere to hypertension medications due to fear of side

effects and difficulty adjusting to the new lifestyle changes, including diet modification and

exercises. (Ishikawa et al., 2018)

As per WHO 2018, Non-adherence has also been associated with poor understanding of the

condition, seeing the condition improving, or the health deterioration (Ouasmani et al., 2018).

Adequate counseling on the use of hypertension medications during pregnancy promotes

adherence to drugs. Level of education, income and age are associated with the development of

hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, while religion is not significantly related to hypertensive

disorders in pregnancy (Stuart et al., 2018). The education and the awareness of signs and

symptoms help reduce the chances of developing hypertension in pregnancy.

Conclusion

The improvement of the knowledge on hypertension in pregnancy is key to reducing

maternal and fetal problems. The level of knowledge on hypertension in pregnancy is still very

low. A small percentage of women are unaware of hypertension's signs and symptoms in

pregnancy and risk factors, particularly maternal factors. The knowledge on medication and

adherence is also very low. The identifiable gaps are key and form the basis for exploration by the

research study.

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References

Abalos, E., Duley, L., Steyn, D. W., & Gialdini, C. (2018). Antihypertensive drug therapy for mild

to moderate hypertension during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,

(10).

Behrens, I., Basit, S., Melbye, M., Lykke, J. A., Wohlfahrt, J., Bundgaard, H., ... & Boyd, H. A.

(2017). Risk of post-pregnancy hypertension in women with a history of hypertensive

disorders of pregnancy: nationwide cohort study. bmj, 358, j3078.

George, M., George, N., & Ramesh, N. (2016). Pregnancy-induced hypertension among antenatal

women attending outpatient departments in a rural hospital. Hindu, 142, 94-7.

Hoeltzenbein, M., Fietz, A. K., Kayser, A., Zinke, S., Meister, R., Weber-Schoendorfer, C., &

Schaefer, C. (2018). Pregnancy outcome after first-trimester exposure to bisoprolol: an

observational cohort study. Journal of hypertension, 36(10), 2109-2117.

Hughson, J. A., Marshall, F., Daly, J. O., Woodward-Kron, R., Hajek, J., & Story, D. (2018).

Health professionals' views on health literacy issues for culturally and linguistically diverse

women in maternity care: barriers, enablers and the need for an integrated

approach. Australian Health Review, 42(1), 10-20

Ishikawa, T., Obara, T., Nishigori, H., Miyakoda, K., Ishikuro, M., Metoki, H., ... & Kuriyama, S.

(2018). Antihypertensives prescribed for pregnant women in Japan: Prevalence and timing

determined from a database of health insurance claims. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug

safety, 27(12), 1325-1334.

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Nzelu, D., Dumitrascu-Biris, D., Kay, P., Nicolaides, K. H., & Kametas, N. A. (2018). Severe

hypertension, preeclampsia and small for gestational age in women with chronic

hypertension diagnosed before and during pregnancy. Pregnancy hypertension, 14, 200-

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Ouasmani, F., Engeltjes, B., Rahou, B. H., Belayachi, O., & Verhoeven, C. (2018). Knowledge of

hypertensive disorders in pregnancy of Moroccan women in Morocco and in the

Netherlands: a qualitative interview study. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 18(1), 344.

Stuart, J. J., Tanz, L. J., Missmer, S. A., Rimm, E. B., Spiegelman, D., James-Todd, T. M., & Rich-

Edwards, J. W. (2018). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and maternal cardiovascular

disease risk factor development: an observational cohort study. Annals of internal

medicine, 169(4), 224-232.

Webster, L. M., Reed, K., Myers, J. E., Burns, A., Gupta, P., Patel, P., ... & Chappell, L. C. (2019).

Quantifying adherence to antihypertensive medication for chronic hypertension during

pregnancy. PreStuart, J. J., Tanz, L. J., Missmer, S. A., Rimm, E. B., Spiegelman, D.,

James-Todd, T. M., & Rich-Edwards, J. W. (2018). Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

and maternal cardiovascular disease risk factor development: an observational cohort

study. Annals of internal medicine, 169(4), 224-232.gnancy Hypertension, 17, 12-14.