Conditions: Hypertension
Keywords: African American
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 99
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Clinical trials have yet to test the adequacy of HTN control in African Americans (AA) when both control and intervention groups are given free antihypertensive medications and are involved in usual versus intensive intervention strategies. Because of this, it has not yet been determined whether the method of prescribing antihypertensive medications according to JNC 7 guidelines is more, less, or equally as effective as prescribing antihypertensive medications and providing intensive behavioral and clinical interventions. Knowledge in this area of HTN treatment should better able medical and health practitioners to help their AA subjects control HTN. The BEAT Hypertension Clinic will evaluate this method of HTN control by proposing a program that will evaluate the difference in HTN control among subjects receiving usual care and free medications and subjects also receiving free medications, but additionally being treated in a clinic that operates in a more intensive manner in relationship to patient behavior modification, patient-clinician interactions, and physical and social environments. At the conclusion of the study, the BEAT Hypertension Clinic investigators will report findings and help to answer the question of whether medication alone or medication combined with intensive behavioral and clinical treatment is more effective in HTN control in the AA population.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Intervention group subjects will receive education and assistance from a Community Health Center or Cardiac Center nurse practitioner or physician, health educator, dietitian, social worker, and Cardiac Center-trained community members called Community Health Advocates (CHAs). arm 2: No intervention

Interventions: intervention 1: Hydrochlorothiazide intervention 2: Lisinopril intervention 3: Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide intervention 4: Nifedipine XL intervention 5: Metoprolol tartrate intervention 6: Atenolol intervention 7: Valsartan intervention 8: Doxazosin intervention 9: Clonidine intervention 10: Hydralazine intervention 11: Metoprolol succinate intervention 12: Amlodipine
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablets intervention 2: Lisinopril 5mg Tablet, 10 mg tablet, 20 mg tablet intervention 3: L 10 mg and H 12.5 mg tablets, L 20 mg and H 12.5 mg tablets, L 20 mg and H 25 mg tablets intervention 4: 30 mg extended release tablets, 60 mg extended release tablets intervention 5: 50 mg tablets \& 100 mg tablets intervention 6: 50 mg tablet intervention 7: 80 mg tablets \& 160 mg tablet intervention 8: 4 mg tablets intervention 9: 0.2 mg tablets intervention 10: 50 mg tablets intervention 11: 50 mg tablet \& 100 mg tablet intervention 12: 5 mg tablets \& 10 mg tablets

Protocol document: