Views of hypertension among young African Americans who vary in their risk of developing hypertension.

Objectives: To describe beliefs about hypertension and health education of young African American adults varying in their hypertension risk status.

Design: Fifty-eight African American young adults (17-20 years) were selected based on low and high risk criteria for hypertension assessed in earlier investigations of hemodynamic responses to stress. The sample included 15 high risk males, 13 low risk males, 14 high risk females, and 16 low risk females who were interviewed indepth about their hypertension beliefs and health education experiences.