Experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke in China: A qualitative study

Background Effective health management of people at high risk of stroke in China is challenging. Aim To explore and identify the experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke in order to provide a foundation for a targeted health management strategy for this special group. Design A qualitative, descriptive study based on interviews. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 people at high risk of stroke. The interviews were collated and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven‐step method. Results A total of 31 people at high risk of stroke were included, and the ages ranged from 40 to 86, with an average age of 60.71 (SD = 11.55). The experiences of health management were categorized into three themes. Theme 1: Facing many ongoing problems in health management, limited knowledge, lack of confidence and poor compliance. Theme 2: Accumulated some value experiences of coping with problems of health management, becoming active learners, promoting social interaction and enhancing self‐health management. Theme 3: Sensitivity to multiple influencing factors, the severity of disease and complexity of disease management, family income and economic burden and the value of social support. Conclusions This study explored the experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke, and these findings are of great significance in the primary prevention of stroke.