Objective: Hypertension is a global public health challenge, often exhibiting suboptimal management resulting in numerous health complications. Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) is a valuable tool for aiding healthcare providers in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in patients. Approximately 15% of individuals with hypertension fall within the young adult demographic, ranging from 18 to 39 years old. The early onset of hypertension exposes them to a heightened risk of cardiovascular events occurring prematurely. Consequently, the objective of this research is to assess the association of knowledge of HBPM with practice among medical students.

Methods: This was part of a larger study entitled: “Effect of Video Intervention on Knowledge of Proper Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Among Second Year Medical Students, UPM”. It was a cross sectional study done among all second-year medical students in the Universiti Putra Malaysia from April 2022 to 2023 (JKEUPM-2022-143). The students were given online questionnaires on HBPM. The questionnaire underwent content validation by a panel of experts. It consisted of 20 questions on knowledge, with one point for each correct answer. A higher score indicates better knowledge. There were two questions on practice which asked if they did HBPM on themselves or their family members/friends. 

Results: We report (n=21, 24.1%) of participants do their blood pressure at home, while (n=45, 51.7%) do BP monitoring at home to their family members/friends. The mean (+sd) knowledge scores out of a possible 20 for these groups are 10.81 (+ 3.0) and 11.29 (+2.5) respectively. Those who assisted family members/friends with their BP at home had significantly more knowledge scores that those who didn’t (mean difference = 2.7, p=0.000). No significant associations with the group with self BP monitoring. 

Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude that those who assist others in HBPM have significantly higher knowledge scores compared to those who did not. 

Keywords: hypertension, home blood pressure, blood pressure, monitoring

1.  Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 
2.  Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 
3. Medical student, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia 

Correspondence to: Aneesa Abdul Rashid, Associate Professor,  Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia,  [email protected]