The program consisted of a community wide education program, an intensive intervention directed toward individuals with hypertension, and an intervention for health care providers. The program was developed by a coalition of community organizations. In the community wide educational intervention, a baseline household survey was used to identify barriers to hypertension control in the community. This information was used in planning the intervention strategies, targeting the educational efforts, and developing the educational messages. Existing community organizations (churches, local media, neighborhood organizations, etc) were used to implement educational efforts over a three year period. Program success was evaluated by comparing findings on a follow-up household survey with those at baseline. Level of blood pressure control was the primary outcome measure. For the intensive educational program for hypertensives, the investigators developed a hypertension registry of individuals with high blood pressure who were identified from a number of community sources. All individuals on the registry receive educational material through the mail. Individuals with uncontrolled hypertension were randomized to receive the usual mailed educational materials or a more intensive personalized 12 month intervention using lay health advisors.