Religious Leaders as Trusted Messengers in Combatting Hypertension in Rural Tanzanian Communities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hypertension is a growing public health emergency in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Based on the known influence of religious leaders in rural sub-Saharan Africa and our prior research, we explored perspectives of religious leaders on hypertension and potential strategies to improve hypertension control in their communities.

Methods

We conducted 31 in-depth interviews with Christian (n = 17) and Muslim (n = 14) religious leaders in rural Tanzania. Interviews focused on religious leaders' perceptions of hypertension and how they could play a role in promoting blood pressure reduction. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis, a qualitative research method, to understand religious leaders' perspectives on, and experiences with, hypertension.

Results

Three

SUBMITTER: Lambert VJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9214778 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature