Introduction:

The study of hypertension currently constitutes one of the first demands for assistance in Cuba. Social representation theory has become an exceptional instrument to understand disease and health. It is imperative to research beliefs, opinions, attitudes and knowledge in hypertensive patients regarding their disease, since these elements will influence their behavior.

Objective:

To explore the social representations about hypertension of hypertensive people.

Methods:

A qualitative, exploratory and cross-sectional study was carried out at the Julio Antonio Mella health area located in Guanabacoa, in Havana, Cuba; during 2017. Thirty hypertensive people and ten healthcare professionals were able to participate in this study. The semi-structured interview and the ethnographic record were used as collection instruments. The information obtained was digitized, entered and analyzed using NVIVO qualitative analysis program.

Results:

The findings showed hypertensive people provided hypertension a negative meaning based on their experiences. They were able to acquire knowledge of hypertension since diagnosis and currently contemplate the disease as chronic. Most of these hypertensive people followed the treatment plan, and gave more significance to the effectiveness of the drug over diet.

Conclusions:

Problems were found around the control of hypertension disease, such as unsafe behaviors and poor self-care and shortage of drugs associated with the healthcare system.

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