A pre-experimental study to assess the effectiveness of planned health education on knowledge regarding prevention of myocardial infarction among hypertensive patients residing in selected area of Jalandhar, Punjab

The heart serves as a vital organ that pumps blood to the lungs for oxygenation and subsequently distributes this oxygenated blood throughout the body. It takes approximately 20 seconds for the heart to circulate blood to every cell in the body. Without oxygen-rich blood, cells would perish, resulting in significant organ damage. A heart-healthy lifestyle includes proper nutrition, consistent physical activity, keeping a healthy body weight, abstaining from smoking, consuming alcohol in moderation, abstaining from recreational drugs, managing hypertension, and effectively handling stress. The study used a Pre-Experimental design, specifically a one-group pre-test post-test design. The sample of 100 hypertension patients was selected using a non-probability purposive selection approach. A self-structured knowledge questionnaire was used to gather the data, which was then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicated that the average pre-test knowledge score for hypertensive patients regarding preventing Myocardial Infarction was 14, with a standard deviation of 2.103. The average post-test knowledge score for hypertensive patients regarding the prevention of Myocardial Infarction was 19.26, with a standard deviation of 2.521. The mean difference between the two scores was 5.26. The obtained 't' value (39.09) was statistically significant at a significance level of 0.001. The study's results indicated that the execution of planned health education resulted in a significant improvement in the post-test knowledge of hypertensive patients about preventing Myocardial Infarction.