“Take an opportunity whenever you get it†: Information sharing among African†American women with hypertension

Nearly half of African†American women have hypertension, which increases their risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. A plethora of consumer health information products and services exist to inform people with hypertension and to promote self†management among them. Promotion of information sharing by African†American women represents a promising, culturally applicable strategy for consumer health information services focused on hypertension self†management. Yet how African†American women share hypertension information with others is unclear. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to examine practices of information sharing in African†American women with hypertension. Thirteen women (mean age = 73, SD = 9.87) participated in one of 2 focus groups held at an urban community health center. Thematic analysis revealed that the women shared information about how they self†managed their blood pressure i) with female family members and friends, ii) about ways in which they adapted self†management strategies to work for them, iii) mostly in group settings, and iv) because they wanted to prevent others from suffering and reinforce their own knowledge about hypertension self†management. New findings emerged regarding assessing “readiness†for information. Study findings will be used to inform the design of an information†sharing intervention to support self†management of hypertension in African†American women.