Socio-economic Analysis and the Study of Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, Control and Risk Factors of Hypertension in Hospital Staff

Abstract

Hypertension is an important public health challenge in the developing and the developed world alike. This worksite based descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken in Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre in 2010 with 50 subjects were recruited by multistage purposive cluster sampling. The primary aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to assess the socioeco­nomic status and to measure the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and correlates of hypertension. The prevalence of pre-hypertension is 38% and hypertension is 34%. Among the hypertensive 53% are aware of their condition and 66.66% of them are under treatment and 16.66% have con­trol over the condition. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 22% and 4% respectively. The prevalence of central obesity was 29.72% among male and 69% among female. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on hypertension was satisfactory. Fourteen percent understood hypertension as a raised blood pressure during blood flow in the arteries. Majority of them (72%) have posi­tive attitude towards use of medicine in hypertension. Majority of them (86%) had checked their blood pressure in last 2 years. Difference in prevalence of hypertension was found among the tobacco users and non- users (65% vs 40%), who do regular exercise and those who do not (28% vs. 38%) and sleep disturbance was higher among hypertensive than non-hypertensive (48% vs. 10%). Patients with Dislipidemia (32%) had higher prevalence of hypertension than those without Dislipidemia (44% vs 30 %) Similar finding were found between overweight participants (26%) and normal weight participants (46% vs 34%). The prevalence of hypertension is higher with the higher socio-economic status.

Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 7 | No.1 | November 2010 (special issue) | Page 15-19

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v7i1.8496