Health perception and adherence with blood pressure control among rural Chinese adults with hypertension.

These findings suggest: (a) healthcare providers should focus on educating rural hypertensive adults about healthful diets and behaviours to manage hypertension, especially for those with high household income; (b) knowledge-based health education alone is not adequate; (c) illness perception may not be directly associated with blood pressure; and (d) the Chinese Illness-Perception Questionnaire-Revised and the Inventory of Adherence to Self-management require validation and potential revision for use with rural Chinese populations.