Investigating Relationships Between Hypertension, Sleep, and Cognitive Risk in an Underserved Community

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v20i1.584

Keywords:

Alzheimer’s disease, Sleep, Hypertension, Rural, Elders, Underserved, Diverse

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this descriptive correlational pilot study was to investigate the relationship between hypertension, sleep deprivation, and risk of Alzheimer’s disease in a rural, older, underserved, and ethnically diverse cohort.
Sample: Residents (n = 52) from three independent subsidized housing units for retired farmer workers, located in a rural Florida area known as the Glades, volunteered for the study.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive approach using Pearson correlations, t-tests, and scatter plot analysis was applied to surveys and Mini-CogTM results.
Findings: About a quarter (23.1%) of the participants were identified as being at risk for cognitive impairment. Hypertension risk correlated moderately with cognitive impairment risk (r = 0.40, p = 0.01). However, in this ethnically, diverse cohort, sleep quality did not significantly influence either blood pressure or cognitive status. This is contrary to other studies that have found an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease among persons with hypertension (Carnevale, Perrotta, Lembo, & Trimarco, 2015) and insufficient sleep (Brzecka et al., 2018).
Implications: These results suggest that further investigation is needed to examine if rural living or culture moderates Alzheimer’s disease risk factors of diminished sleep and hypertension. Future findings could impact the design of interventions aimed at reducing AD risk in diverse rural settings.

Keywords:  Alzheimer's disease, Sleep, Hypertension, Rural, Elders, Underserved, Diverse 

DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v20i1.584  

 

Author Biographies

  • Princess Maryam Abdul-Akbar, Florida Atlantic University

    B.S.

    Undergraduate Student

  • Lisa Wiese, C. E. Lynn College of Nursing Florida Atlantic University

    Assistant Professor, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

Downloads

Published

2020-05-01

Issue

Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, 20(1)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share (for non-commerical purposes) the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).