However, the exact method of crossing one leg over the knee is not clearly explained and no illustrations are provided. The participants may or may not have crossed their legs with an open groin, which may have a bearing on blood pressure readings.
The research design mainly supports the research question. However, several flaws prevent the current study from being statistically appropriate. The subjects were all males and all were diagnosed with hypertension and were also taking antihypertensive medications (Foster-Fitzpatrick nd, p. 95). The authors fail to mention which medications the participants were taking and how those medications might have impacted the validity of the research. Differences between medications might also have affected the results of the research. Gender and current hypertensive conditions may have been mitigating factors the researchers failed to control in the current research. Still, the research was preliminary and an ANOVA design...
Results could be extended to a similar population but not to the general public.
Research on the effects of leg position on blood pressure measurement accuracy could be improved by drawing from a larger and more diverse sample population. Including women as well as persons who have not been diagnosed with hypertension would increase research validity so long as those independent variables were defined and identified. Controlling for medication would be a key way to improve research validity. Future studies could draw sample populations from groups of patients who were taking the same medication, for example. The effect of crossed leg on blood pressure might also be related to preexisting hypertension; persons without high blood pressure might exhibit different results than those who do. In spite of the flaws in the research design, the presentation is clear and the article is concise and well-written.
