Participating institutions

Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama (INCAP, Guatemala

Institute of Clinical Efectiveness and Health Policy (IECS, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Lima, Peru)

RAND Corporation (California, EUA) 

Principal Researchers

Jaime Miranda MD, MSc, PHD, FFPH

Adolfo Rubinstein MD, MsC, PhD

Manuel Ramirez-Zea, MD, PhD

Homero Martinez, MD, PhD

Funding agency

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Medtronic Foundation

General objective

Desing, carry out and evaluare an intervention based on mobile health strategies to reduce blood pressure and prevent progression from pre-hypertension to high boold pressure on residents from  urban low income neighborhoods of Argentina, Guatemala and Peru

Methodology

Duration

This study was a randomized clinical trial with 212 participants per country. The intervention combined telephone counseling, carried out by nutritionist trained in the motivational interview techniques, with the sending of text messages (SMS). For a year each participant received monthly counseling followed by four SMS, which promoted healthy lifestyles in four areas: physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, consumption of fats and sugars, and intake of salt and products high in sodium. 

2011 - 2014