Knowledge Practice Gap in Hypertension Prevention Among Indonesian Adolescents: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Hypertension is now affecting not only the elderly but also adolescents and young adults. College students, as educated youth, have extensive access to health information, but do not necessarily consistently implement preventive behaviors. This gap between knowledge and behavior is a crucial issue in the prevention of non-communicable diseases. This study aims to describe the level of knowledge and behavior of adolescents regarding hypertension prevention and analyze the gap between the two. This study used a quantitative descriptive design with a cross-sectional approach. The sample consisted of 92 college students aged 18–24 years who were selected purposively. Data were collected through a questionnaire covering respondent characteristics, knowledge level, and hypertension prevention behavior. Analysis was conducted descriptively using frequency distributions and percentages. A total of 72.8% of respondents had good knowledge regarding hypertension prevention, 26.1% had sufficient knowledge, and 1.1% had insufficient knowledge. However, only 44.6% of respondents demonstrated good hypertension prevention behavior, while 47.8% had sufficient knowledge, and 7.6% had insufficient knowledge. These results indicate a gap between knowledge and practice of hypertension prevention. Although adolescents' knowledge about hypertension prevention is considered good, their preventive behavior is not yet in line. Sedentary lifestyle factors, academic stress, and a lack of campus support contribute to this gap. Behavior-based interventions and participatory health promotion in higher education settings are needed to narrow this knowledge-practice gap.