Attitudes and practices adopted by hypertensive workers on the disease’s control - doi:10.5020/18061230.2005.p145

Abstract

Systemic arterial hypertension (HAS) consists of a major public health problem, with a prevalence of 20 to 25% in the population above 18 years old. In the professional practice, the lack of treatment adhesion is frequently observed, being manifested not only by the medicamental treatment’s suspension or irregularity, but also by the adoption of inadequate life style. This work had the aim of identifying the attitudes and practices of hypertensive workers on the diseases’ control. The research consisted of a descriptive study held in UNIFOR with 25 workers previously diagnosed with HAS. The data were collected by means of a structured interview done during the participants’ working hours. The workers’ inappropriate attitudes and practices in the arterial hypertension control, concerning the hygienic-dietetic and medicamental conducts, were evidenced as 14 (56,0%) of them presented high cholesterol, 13 (52,0%) were overweight, 5 (20,0%) were alcoholics and 4 (16,0%) were smokers. The workers declared having difficulty in the acquisition of the medicine for the high blood pressure control, once the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) didn’t distributed it regularly and due to their low acquisitive power. It is concluded that the workers didn’t adopt appropriate attitudes and practices for the arterial hypertension’s control as a result of their not adhesion to the medicamental treatment or for showing deficiencies in the knowledge about those. Although in some, it was evidenced an effort in the pursuing of those practices.