PEACE-H: “Peer Education and Agent of Change for Enhancing Hypertension Risk Control” in Public Vocational Secondary School 1, Purwokerto

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension among adolescents continues to rise globally and nationally, largely driven by unmanaged modifiable lifestyle risk factors such as physical inactivity and unhealthy diet. Early health promotion and peer-led interventions are essential to build sustainable awareness and preventive behaviors in school settings. Objective: This community service program aimed to empower vocational high school adolescents through a peer education and agent of change approach to enhance hypertension risk control and early screening capabilities. Methods: A service-learning approach was conducted involving 38 Youth Red Cross (PMR) members as Anti-Hypertension Ambassadors and 33 peer students. The intervention was delivered in two structured sessions: interactive ambassador training covering blood pressure screening using digital tensiometers and communication skills, followed by peer-led health education using leaflets and practical screening. Knowledge changes were measured via pre-test and post-test questionnaires, while ambassador skills were evaluated using standardized observation checklists. Results: Ambassador training significantly increased average knowledge scores from 90.00 ± 7.37 to 97.05 ± 2.58, with the highest domain improvement in risk factor identification (from 82.24% to 98.68%). Peer-led education effectively elevated target students' knowledge from 74.34 ± 17.01 to 85.05 ± 10.14. Among ambassadors (n = 35), 88.57% achieved competency in blood pressure measurement (mean 82.99 ± 4.92) and 97.14% in peer communication (mean 82.64 ± 4.84). Conclusion: The peer education model successfully enhanced adolescent health literacy, screening skills, and peer-to-peer preventive engagement, providing a viable model for school-based cardiovascular health promotion