New research suggests that small health improvements, like not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, are associated with a lower risk of hypertension among black patients, compared to those that don't practice a healthy lifestyle.

The study, published in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension, is based on the Jackson Heart Study, a research project that assesses the cardiovascular risk in black communities. It was funded by Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

It includes more than 5,300 patients who were surveyed on their exercise, eating, and smoking habits. The researchers followed up with them eight years later.

Findings show that black patients who had at least two modifiable healthy behaviors at the beginning of the research saw their high blood pressure risk decline by 20 percent, compared to those that had no healthy behaviors.

Healthy behaviors defined by the American Heart Association include not smoking, maintaining a healthy eight, eating healthy, being physically active, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, and controlling cholesterol and blood pressure.

Additionally, findings showed there was a 90 percent lower risk of hypertension in patients who had at least six of seven modifiable healthy behaviors.

“The Life’s Simple 7, an approach used by the American Heart Association to monitor cardiovascular health, can also be used to monitor high blood pressure risk in African-Americans, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said John N. Booth, III, lead study author and PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “We found that even small improvements in cardiovascular health can reduce risk for developing high blood pressure.”

Overall the study revealed that healthier patients with a lower risk for hypertension tended to be younger women that have at least a high school education and an annual income of at least $25,000.