Stroke and cardiovascular disease are leading causes of death among Alaska Native and American Indian people. High blood pressure is the main cause of these two serious health issues.  Southcentral Foundation wants to find ways to help manage blood pressure (BP). One way to help manage high BP is home monitoring.

Southcentral Foundation Research led an accuracy study on two types of home BP monitors. One type was a wrist cuff and the other was an upper arm cuff. One hundred Alaska Native and American Indian people with high BP volunteered for this study. Research measured accuracy of the devices by comparing them to a clinic BP monitor. Participants also used each of the BP monitors at home for a week. Participants reported which BP monitor they preferred, and what they liked and didn’t like about each one. The results will be used to help select a device for a larger study.  

Participants see the potential for monitoring at home to help manage high BP.

“I’m sure there’s a research study out there where they supplied cuffs for blood pressure monitoring to a certain number of people and how that affected their blood pressure over time. That would be really interesting for us to look into and apply.”- Study Participant

The goal of the larger study is to learn if using a home BP monitor helps manage high BP. We expect to enroll 500 volunteer participants with high BP and place them into two groups. One group will receive care as it is currently delivered. The other group will use a home BP monitor, and receive text message reminders and additional educational materials. The groups will be compared to learn if monitoring BP at home has an impact on maintaining healthy BP levels. This study is currently being reviewed by the Alaska Area Institutional Review Board.

The overall goal of ENACTS is to offer hypertension management education to Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Western Washington to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

(Left to Right) Katie Nelson, Ka’Imi Sinclair, Dan Pritchard, and Nicole Ellison Lee

Ka`imi Sinclair, PhD, MPH (left center) is an Assistant Professor at WSU and project lead of the “Engaging NHPIs and Activating Communities to Take Steps” (ENACTS) study. Dr. Sinclair’s research focuses on the development and evaluation of culturally tailored chronic disease management programs for priority populations. She works with Native Americans across the U.S., Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Hawai`i and on the mainland, and with Latinos in Western Washington.

Katie Nelson, BS (left) is the ENACTS Research Coordinator and oversees the daily management of the study and training of study staff. Her primary research interest is in nutrition and promoting healthy eating among health disparity populations. Outside of the office, she likes to cook, spend time with friends, and travel.

Nicole Ellison Lee, MPH (right) is the ENACTS recruiter and assessor. Nicole is a graduate of the Master’s in Public Health program at University of Hawaii and lives in Olympia with her husband and baby Carlisle.

Dan Pritchard, MEd (right center) is the ENACTS Peer Educator and will deliver the educational classes.  Dan is a retired teacher and taught in American Samoa and Washington. He has also worked on several health-related projects.

NATIVE-Chart has three active research projects that are a part of Native-CHART’s effort to help mange the risk factors for heart disease in American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with hypertension.

Blood Pressure-Improving Control among Alaska Native People (BP-ICAN) is a 12-month multi-level prevention trial that uses culturally tailored text messages targeting hypertension to reduce the risk of CVD and stroke in urban and rural Alaska Native communities.

Engaging Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and Activating Communities to Take Steps (ENACTS) tests a multi-level, culturally tailored intervention to manage hypertension. The intervention uses an educational curriculum supported by text messaging to promote healthy diets, traditional foods, medication adherence, physical activity, and smoking cessation among Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders in western Washington State.