Mi Propio Camino Intervention RCT for Blood Pressure Medication Adherence (MPC)

Mi Propio Camino (Finding My Own Way): Personalized Approaches to Improve Blood Pressure Control

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of two educational interventions on adherence to blood pressure medications among adults with uncontrolled hypertension.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypertension; Medication Adherence
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mi Propio Camino (MPC); Behavioral: Habilidades para Controlar la Presion (HCP; Skills for Blood Pressure Control)

Detailed Description

The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) consisting of a 4-session educational intervention (completed over the course of 4-8 weeks) and a 6-month follow-up period for adherence monitoring. Participants will be allocated to one of two educational intervention groups following a block randomization schedule, stratified on the hypothesized mediator variable of medication-related beliefs (high versus low scores on the BMQ Necessity-Concerns subscore) to ensure the groups are balanced on this variable. Primary endpoint is medication adherence at 6 month follow-up, defined as the proportion of days that the prescribed number of doses was taken by the patient during a 30-day period, measured by a pill bottle cap monitor (medication events monitoring device [MEMS]).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 511
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Irvine, California, United States, 92697
      • Health Policy Research Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria are: (1) age 18 years or greater, (2) uncontrolled hypertension (BP above 140/90 mmHg), (3) Hispanic ethnicity, (4) Spanish or English-speaking, (5) at least one office visit at the study clinic in prior 12 months.

Exclusion criteria: Persons with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) will be excluded.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mi Propio Camino (MPC; My Own Way); Participants will complete the MPC intervention alongside usual care for hypertension	Behavioral: Mi Propio Camino (MPC); The Mi Propio Camino (MPC) intervention will be comprised of four sessions. Session 1 will encompass: the facts about high blood pressure (BP), understanding blood pressure readings, provide an overview of changes one can make to manage their BP, introduce MPC personal experience monitoring, and usage the mHealth kit. Subsequently, sessions 2-4 will emphasize the benefits of personal experience monitoring through 1) personal insight (finding what works for them) and 2) empowerment to work with their providers. Session 2 will reinforce this by introducing: synergy between medication and lifestyle, principles of heart-healthy eating and physical activity. Session 3 will incorporate discussion of negative beliefs about medication and patient directed lifestyle learning-rotating stations. Lastly, session 4 will introduce the continuation of personal experience monitoring on their own through the use of behavioral strategies for adherence and provider communication strategies.; Other Names: MPC
Active Comparator: Habilidades para Controlar la Presion (HCP; Skills for Blood Pressure Control); Participants will complete the HCP intervention alongside usual care for hypertension.	Behavioral: Habilidades para Controlar la Presion (HCP; Skills for Blood Pressure Control); The HCP intervention will be comprised of four sessions and introduce seven lifestyle strategies (LS) subdivided per these sessions. Session 1 will encompass the facts about high blood pressure (BP), understanding blood pressure readings, provide an overview of changes one can make to manage their BP, present specific health threats from high BP, and incorporate LS1: taking control of your medication. Subsequently, sessions 2-4 will reinforce the benefits of taking medications through presenting 1) reduced risk for complications and 2) strategies to remember to take medications. Session 2 will present LS2: eating a well-balanced, low-salt diet and LS3: enjoying regular physical activity. Session 3 will follow with introducing LS4: maintaining a healthy weight and LS5: shaking the salt habit while eating out. Session 4 will present LS6: managing stress and LS7: working together with their doctor followed by a review of strategies they can continue on their own.; Other Names: HCP

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Medication Adherence (Objective)	Medication adherence is assessed at 6-month follow-up with Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) pill bottle cap monitors (MWV/WestRock), an objective, gold-standard measure for pill-taking behavior. MEMS caps can be affixed to a medicine bottle to record each time the bottle is opened, indicating when the patient took the medication. Daily adherence is defined as the proportion of days that the prescribed number of doses was taken by the patient during a 30-day period.	6 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Medication Adherence (Subjective)	Subjective medication adherence was assessed with a validated Spanish-language version of the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (8-item MMAS; score range 0-8 with higher scores corresponding to better adherence). Scores were analyzed as a continuous scale score at 6-month follow-up.	6 months post-intervention
Number of Participants Who Were Nonadherent Due To Beliefs (Subjective)	Nonadherence related to beliefs was assessed with the Safran Medication Adherence questionnaire, and defined as endorsement of one or more of 6 belief-related nonadherence items in the questionnaire at 6-month follow-up.	6 months post-intervention
Medication-related Beliefs (Specific)	Medication-related beliefs were assessed using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire - Specific Necessity-Concerns scale (range -20 - +20), with higher scores indicating more positive beliefs about one's prescribed blood pressure medications (i.e. greater perceived necessity relative to concerns).	5 months post-intervention
Systolic Blood Pressure	This outcome measure will be recorded following the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines for proper methods and accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement. Accurate BP measurements are subdivided into pre and post-steps. Before measuring of BP, patients are to be prepared for proper technique including: having the patient sit quietly with their feet on the floor, back supported and relaxed for 5 minutes, supporting arm used for measurement on a desk and ensuring it is positioned at heart level. Subsequently, the middle of the BP cuff should be positioned on the patient's upper arm ensuring that the correct cuff size is used based on the cuff size criteria from AHA. As our patients are already taking medication that might affect BP, timing of measurements should be standardized to the patient's medication intake. Blood pressure will be collected for analysis at baseline, upon completion of intervention period and upon completion of outcome	6 months post-intervention
Diastolic Blood Pressure	This outcome measure will be recorded following the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines for proper methods and accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement. Accurate BP measurements are subdivided into pre and post-steps. Before measuring of BP, patients are to be prepared for proper technique including: having the patient sit quietly with their feet on the floor, back supported and relaxed for 5 minutes, supporting arm used for measurement on a desk and ensuring it is positioned at heart level. Subsequently, the middle of the BP cuff should be positioned on the patient's upper arm ensuring that the correct cuff size is used based on the cuff size criteria from AHA. As our patients are already taking medication that might affect BP, timing of measurements should be standardized to the patient's medication intake. Blood pressure will be collected for analysis at baseline, upon completion of intervention period and upon completion of outcome.	6 months post-intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Medication-related Behavioral Skills	Knowledge of Medication-related Behavioral Skills will be assessed withthe PROMIS Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Conditions Manage Medications/Treatment scale	Collected for analysis at baseline, upon completion of intervention period and upon completion of outcome assessment period at 1-month and 6-month follow up.
Medication-related Information	Knowledge of medication-related information will be assessed with a questionnaire adapted from the Medication Knowledge Questionnaire (MKQ)	Collected for analysis at baseline, upon completion of intervention period and upon completion of outcome assessment period at 1-month and 6-month follow up.
Activation of Behavioral Strategies	Activation of behavioral strategies measured with the Medication Adherence Strategies Inventory (ASI)60, an inventory of 7 common strategies for adherence.	Collected for analysis at baseline, upon completion of intervention period and upon completion of outcome assessment period at 1-month and 6-month follow up.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Irvine
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: John Billimek, PhD, University of California, Irvine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 16, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): September 10, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 6, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): October 14, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 24, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Behavior; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Patient Compliance; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Hypertension; Medication Adherence
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20174025; 1R01HL142964 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No