Watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris schard) and Melon (Cucumis melo) Effective Reduce Blood Pressure in Prehypertension Patients

Abstract

Cases of hypertension based on the number of cases of hypertension patients in Indonesia nationally experienced an increase in hypertension in residents aged 18 years above who experienced hypertension from 25.8% in 2013 to 2018, as many as 34.1% based on doctors' diagnoses and people taking antihypertensive drugs as many as 8.8%. Efforts that can be made to treat high blood pressure can use watermelons and melons. To determine the effect of watermelons and melons on blood pressure in people with prehypertension in Giyanten Hamlet, Temanggung Regency. The research design uses an experimental design with a pretest and post-test control group design; the sampling technique uses simple random sampling. Population aged 25-50 years, the study sample was 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group; data analysis used paired t-test and independent t-test. The average pretest systolic blood pressure in the intervention group given watermelon and melon fruit was 126.90 mmHg and 82.70 mmHg diastolic. After being given treatment, systolic 118.30 mmHg and diastolic 79.73 mmHg with a p-value of 0.000. In the control group, the systolic pretest blood pressure was 119.17 mmHg and 82.10 mmHg diastolic, while the post-test blood pressure in the control group was 122.93 mmHg systolic and 83.37 mmHg diastolic with a p-value of 0.000. There is an effect of the consumption of watermelons and melons on systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Patients given watermelon and melon consumption experienced an average decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while in the control group, blood pressure increased.