BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Supervised lifestyle interventions, including dietary and exercise programs, may be infeasible to implement in real-world settings. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based lifestyle modification intervention on blood pressure (BP) management. METHODS: Eighty-five patients aged over 20 years and diagnosed with prehypertension or mild hypertension were randomly assigned to an advice-only comparison group (C group, n = 28), a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet education group (D group, n = 30), or a DASH and home-based exercise group (D+Ex group, n = 27). The intervention lasted for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was the difference in office systolic blood pressure (SBP) before and after the study period (trial registry at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01637909). RESULTS: Seventy-two participants (87.8%) completed the trial. The degree of change in office SBP did not significantly differ among the intervention groups; however, the D+Ex group demonstrated a tendency toward decreased SBP. Upon analysis of 24-hour ambulatory BP measurements, daytime ambulatory SBP was significantly lower in the D+Ex group (134 mmHg; 95% confidence interval (CI) 131 to 137; p = 0.011) than in the C group (139.5 mmHg; 95% CI 130.9 to 137), and daytime ambulatory SBP was significantly decreased in the D+Ex group (-5.2 mmHg; 95% CI -8.3 to -2.1; p = 0.011) compared to the C group (0.4 mmHg, 95% CI -2.5 to 3.3). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, lifestyle modification emphasizing both diet and exercise was effective for lowering BP and should be favored over diet-only modifications.

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