Critique #1 Answer Sheet:
Authors, Title, and Abstract
The authors were qualified to conduct the study since they were affiliated with the American Heart Association. James Langabeer and Tiffany Champagne-Langabeer had doctorate degrees while Carlos Perez Aldana had a Master’s degree. The three writers mentioned above worked professionally at the School of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Timothy D. Henry worked at the Division of Cardiology at Cedar-Sinai Smidt Heart Institute. In contrast, Larissa DeLuna and Nora Silva worked at the SouthWest Affiliate of the American Heart Association (Langabeer et al.). Therefore, all authors were sufficiently qualified to conduct the study.
The article has a clear title that identifies the purpose of research, the intervention, and the population of interest. Hence, readers can know that the authors seek to examine the effects of adopting a community population health initiative to regulate hypertension in Hispanics.
The abstract is brief and accurate since it provides an overview of the sections covered in the paper. The background provides the purpose of the paper while the methods and results section summarizes the procedure used while conducting the study. The design, sample, intervention, and key results are outlined in the abstract too.
Literature Review/Background
The clinical problem that prompted the study involves the classification of hypertension as a major contributor to cardiovascular disease in the US. Moreover, the researchers mentioned that cardiovascular health had ethnic and racial variations. The Latino community had historical issues with hypertension (Liao et al. 11)
The study showed how the prevalence rates for hypertension affected 115 million adults or 46% of the country’s population (Langabeer et al.). The American Heart Association (AHA) committed to reducing the deaths due to stroke and cardiovascular disease by 20% in 2020.
The major topics discussed in the background section include hypertension, cardiovascular health, and community-based programs. All relevant ideas were duly covered in the discussion.
The background section included current sources published within the last five years.
The studies mentioned in the background section were critically synthesized and evaluated to provide a comprehensive summary of current knowledge about the problem.
The background section provided sufficient support for the current research study through verifiable facts and statistics. A gap in research knowledge was described in the form of contradictory findings related to lifestyle interventions and the efficacy of home-based BP monitoring (HBPM) (Langabeer et al.).
Research Problem, Purpose, Research Questions/Hypotheses
The purpose of the study was to examine the effects associated with establishing a community-based HBPM intervention mainly directed to a Hispanic population. The purpose clearly shows that a gap in knowledge exists as to the efficacy of community-based initiatives for Latinos.
The questions and hypotheses were implied rather than explicitly stated. In harmony with previous studies, the researchers questioned the lifestyle interventions that could be used to address cardiovascular disease (Gray et al. 55). Furthermore, the study questioned whether HBPM was effective for patients from specific populations (Langabeer et al.). The researchers hypothesized that the AHA-sponsored community health intervention would change the behaviors of Texas-based Latinos.
Theoretical Framework
The framework used to support the study involved the HBPM and its application in the diagnosis and self-management of hypertension. Significant concepts in the framework included the self-management and self-engagement of patients. Consequently, the researchers hoped that the HBPM framework would help patients to enjoy improved social, emotional, and physical health outcomes.
The framework was quite clear since all essential concepts were discussed.
The theory’s concepts were linked to the study variables since improvements in behavior would prove the theory’s efficacy.
Works Cited
Gray, J. R., Grove, S. K., & Sutherland, S. (2016). Burns and Grove’s The Practice of Nursing Research-E-Book: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Langabeer, J. R., Henry, T. D., Perez Aldana, C., DeLuna, L., Silva, N., & Champagne‐Langabeer, T. (2018). Effects of a community population health initiative on blood pressure control in Latinos. Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(21), e010282.
Liao, Y., Siegel, P. Z., White, S., Dulin, R., & Taylor, A. (2016). Improving actions to control high blood pressure in Hispanic communities—racial and ethnic approaches to community health across the US project, 2009–2012. Preventive medicine, 83, 11-15.