Self‐Monitoring of Blood Pressure: A Qualitative Study From Iraqi and Syrian Refugees
4 affiliations
- 1University of California San Diego
- 2University of California Los Angeles
- 3Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
- 4Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring improves long-term blood pressure (BP) outcomes, but evidence on the acceptability and feasibility of SMBP in refugee populations is limited. Refugees face high cardiovascular risk due to poorly controlled BP. METHODS: We recruited Iraqi and Syrian refugees living in San Diego, California, through the Family Health Centers of San Diego and enrolled them in a 6-week single-arm pilot acceptability and feasibility trial of SMBP with telemonitoring protocol modeled after the TASMIN (Telemonitoring and Self-Management in Hypertension) SMBP trial in the United Kingdom. Postintervention interviews assessed barriers and facilitators of the intervention. Inductive thematic analysis was performed, and results were organized using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Quantitative participant data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: A total of 101 refugees participated (80% Iraqi individuals; mean age, 64±9.7; 49% men). Participants generally favored having their BP readings telemonitored and transmitted to their BP providers' office over completing the physical diary. Facilitators of SMBP included increased self-autonomy, device user friendliness, increased participant confidence, and family support. Barriers included device malfunction, old age, comorbidities, everyday life obligations, diary complexity, and forgetfulness. Participants emphasized for future interventions to promote autonomy, family engagement, and include a streamlined BP tracking method while also integrating provider-patient decision making. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of SMBP among refugees. The intervention was found to be acceptable and feasible. Participants felt valued, self-autonomous, and confident in SMBP. Future interventions that use technology, family support, team-based care, and user-friendly devices may improve BP control in this population.
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BibTeX
@article{kamal2026selfmonitoring,
title = {{Self‐Monitoring of Blood Pressure: A Qualitative Study From Iraqi and Syrian Refugees}},
author = {Zaid Kamal and Ariana Khayamian and Pranav S. Garimella and Oluwabunmi Ogungbe and Cheryl A. M. Anderson and Yvonne Commodre‐Mensah and Tala Al‐Rousan},
journal = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1161/jaha.125.045472},
url = {https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.045472},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Self‐Monitoring of Blood Pressure: A Qualitative Study From Iraqi and Syrian Refugees
AU - Zaid Kamal
AU - Ariana Khayamian
AU - Pranav S. Garimella
AU - Oluwabunmi Ogungbe
AU - Cheryl A. M. Anderson
AU - Yvonne Commodre‐Mensah
AU - Tala Al‐Rousan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Journal of the American Heart Association
DO - 10.1161/jaha.125.045472
UR - https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.125.045472
AB - BACKGROUND: Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring improves long-term blood pressure (BP) outcomes, but evidence on the acceptability and feasibility of SMBP in refugee populations is limited. Refugees face high cardiovascular risk due to poorly controlled BP. METHODS: We recruited Iraqi and Syrian refugees living in San Diego, California, through the Family Health Centers of San Diego and enrolled them in a 6-week single-arm pilot acceptability and feasibility trial of SMBP with telemonitoring protocol modeled after the TASMIN (Telemonitoring and Self-Management in Hypertension) SMBP trial in the United Kingdom. Postintervention interviews assessed barriers and facilitators of the intervention. Inductive thematic analysis was performed, and results were organized using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. Quantitative participant data were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: A total of 101 refugees participated (80% Iraqi individuals; mean age, 64±9.7; 49% men). Participants generally favored having their BP readings telemonitored and transmitted to their BP providers' office over completing the physical diary. Facilitators of SMBP included increased self-autonomy, device user friendliness, increased participant confidence, and family support. Barriers included device malfunction, old age, comorbidities, everyday life obligations, diary complexity, and forgetfulness. Participants emphasized for future interventions to promote autonomy, family engagement, and include a streamlined BP tracking method while also integrating provider-patient decision making. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study of SMBP among refugees. The intervention was found to be acceptable and feasible. Participants felt valued, self-autonomous, and confident in SMBP. Future interventions that use technology, family support, team-based care, and user-friendly devices may improve BP control in this population.
SN - 2047-9980
ER -