Status of Hypertension and Its Associated Factors Among Undergraduate Medical Students of a Private Medical College in Lalitpur District.

Abstract

Background Hypertension, a significant global health concern, warrants exploration within the unique context of medical student populations. Hypertension is a silent killer and is a leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality particularly in developing countries including Nepal. Medical students are prone to stress, long working hours, unsteady and unhealthy lifestyles such as lack of exercise, eating unhealthy food which are high risk factors contributing to hypertension. Objective To assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among undergraduate medical students. Method A Cross-sectional study was conducted between August to November 2023 among the undergraduate medical students from first-year to final-year and interns at a teaching hospital after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. A total enumeration sampling technique was used. Chi square test was used to determine the association between variable and P value less than 0.05 was fixed for statistically significant. Result Out of 500 participants, 234 (46.80%) were reported to have hypertension according to the classification of the American Heart Association, 2023. Among them, 169 (72.22%) were male and 65 (27.78%) were female, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.6:1. Male participants had significantly higher odds of developing hypertension compared to females, with a crude odds ratio (COR) of 3.116 (95% CI: 2.144-4.53, p < 0.001) and an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 2.815 (95% CI: 1.914-4.139, p < 0.001). Participants categorized as "Obese" also had significantly higher odds of developing hypertension compared to "Non-obese" individuals, with a COR of 1.862 (95% CI: 1.189-2.916, p = 0.006) and an AOR of 1.636 (95% CI: 1.026-2.607, p = 0.039). Conclusion The high frequency of hypertension in this study could indicate a hidden epidemic among medical students. The results suggest that effective health screening and routine examinations are necessary, in addition to measures that support healthy lifestyles.