Date of Completion

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy

Keywords

Hypertension, Social Media Platforms, Hypertensive Patients, Health Awareness

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death worldwide, including ischemic heart disease and stroke. One of the major risk factors for both diseases is hypertension. Because of such, it is important to educate and raise awareness to promote its management and prevention. One medium through which health information can be communicated is social media. Hence, the study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of social media platforms on health awareness among hypertensive patients. A pretest-posttest design was followed to measure hypertensive patients’ health awareness of hypertension. Participants were either provided videos from social media or printed health information materials as an intervention.

Educational attainment and average time spent on social media per day were found to be major factors contributing to hypertensive patients' health awareness. Facebook was identified to be the most commonly used social media platform among hypertensive patients. Participants were identified to be most aware of health information on “when to “consult, while they were least aware of blood pressure readings. A significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test scores on hypertensive patients’ health awareness using social media platforms. Hence, the medium is highly effective for increasing healthcare awareness among hypertensive patients. This finding may be utilized by healthcare professionals and organizations for disseminating health information to further raise awareness of hypertension.

First Advisor

Mary Grace S. Biagtan

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