Table 1 Demographic characteristics of the sample at baseline
Characteristics | Total sample (N = 392) | Intervention group (n = 197) | Control group (n = 195) | χ2/t | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age, mean (SD) | 65.9 (8.9) | 65.6 (8.4) | 66.2 (9.3) | Â | Â |
Age, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 1.88 | 0.39 |
 60–69 years | 268 (68.4) | 141 (71.6) | 127 (65.1) |  |  |
 70–79 years | 95 (24.2) | 43 (21.8) | 52 (26.7) |  |  |
 ≥ 80 years | 29 (7.4) | 13 (6.6) | 16 (8.2) |  |  |
Gender, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 13.23 | .000* |
 Male | 197 (50.3) | 81 (41.1) | 116 (59.5) |  |  |
 Female | 195 (49.7) | 116 (58.9) | 79 (40.5) |  |  |
Educational level, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 0.18 | 0.91 |
 Primary education | 56 (14.3) | 29 (14.7) | 27 (13.8) |  |  |
 Secondary education | 117 (29.8) | 60 (30.5) | 57 (29.2) |  |  |
 Tertiary education | 219 (55.9) | 108 (54.8) | 111 (50.7) |  |  |
Current BP | |||||
 SBP, mean (SD) | 136.5 (13.3) | 137.2 (12.9) | 135.9 (13.5) | −0.88 | 0.38 |
 DBP, mean (SD) | 87.9 (9.1) | 88.2 (9.9) | 87.7 (8.1) | −0.45 | 0.65 |
BP Categories n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 3.61 | 0.17 |
 Normal | 41 (10.5) | 15 (7.6) | 26 (13.3) |  |  |
 Pre-HT | 133 (33.9) | 67 (34.0) | 66 (33.8) |  |  |
 HT | 218 (55.6) | 115 (58.4) | 103 (52.8) |  |  |
 BMI, mean (SD) | 23.9 (5.1) | 23.8 (5.4) | 23.9 (4.8) | 0.04 | 0.97 |
BMI Categories, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 8.64 | 0.04** |
 Underweight | 38 (9.7) | 27 (13.7) | 11 (5.6) |  |  |
 Normal | 241 (61.5) | 117 (59.4) | 124 (63.6) |  |  |
 Overweight | 66 (16.8) | 28 (14.2) | 38 (19.5) |  |  |
 Obese | 47 (12.0) | 25 (12.7) | 22 (11.3) |  |  |