Effect of a Combination of Salt Reduction and Guided Imagery Therapy on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Patients

Abstract

Hypertension is one of the non-communicable diseases that significantly contributes to global morbidity and mortality. In Indonesia, the prevalence of hypertension continues to increase every year, and excessive salt consumption is one of the main risk factors. Non-pharmacological interventions, such as reducing salt intake and guided imagery therapy, have been shown to help control blood pressure. This study aims to analyze the effect of a combination of lowering salt intake and guided imagery therapy on blood pressure in hypertensive patients. The study used a quasi-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest approach involving 35 hypertensive respondents at the Tanah Kuning Health Center, North Kalimantan, selected using accidental sampling. The intervention was in the form of education on reducing salt intake and implementing guided imagery for three consecutive days. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. The results showed a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure from 152.11 mmHg to 122.94 mmHg and diastolic from 92.54 mmHg to 78.17 mmHg (p = 0.000). These findings indicate that the combination of interventions is effective in lowering blood pressure. Therefore, a combination intervention of reducing salt intake and guided imagery can be considered as a supportive therapy in community-based hypertension management.