The highest comorbidity in the elderly is hypertension, which requires regular monitoring to control their blood pressure. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in the arrival of the elderly to health facilities, because they considered the risks when visiting. In addition, health services at health centers are currently more towards Covid-19 patients, so that the activities of the Chronic Disease Management Program and the Integrated Assistance Post for the elderly in many Puskesmas have been eliminated and transferred to online services. In fact, the elderly are classified as a group that has difficulty accessing and using the internet, so that elderly services are hampered and elderly health is difficult to monitor. This fact encouraged the Community Service Team of the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, consisting of nine students and chaired by Dr. Atik Nurwahyuni, to design an application called “AKSI (Hypertension Control Application)”. This application is designed to monitor the risk factors that cause hypertension, so that monitoring activities carried out at Integrated Development Post for Non-Communicable Diseases and Chronic Disease Management Program which are currently eliminated, can still be carried out even though in a different way. This is done as a form of concern and support for monitoring people with hypertension, which is one of the highest comorbid diseases causing Covid-19. The application developed based on KoboToolbox can provide health messages automatically at the end of filling out the self-assessment form, so that the elderly can find out whether their health behavior patterns are good or not. This can make it easier for the elderly to control or control hypertension through behavioral pattern control. The designed application can be used offline so that it can be used without the internet. To improve the knowledge and attitudes of the elderly in controlling hypertension, the Pengmas team also socialized “Tips for Centong Nasi (Small Steps to Control Hypertension)”. Activities were carried out through WhatsApp, posters, and videos. The intervention video contains an explanation of the factors that affect blood pressure control and tips for controlling it through the Centong steps, namely regular health checks, Get rid of cigarette smoke and alcohol drinks, Good nutrition with nutritious food, Do not eat salty and fatty foods excessively, Exercise or physical activity regularly, Normalize body weight, and Actively manage stress.
Author: KM | Editor: Maudisha AR
