HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS HYPERTENSION AMONG ADULT TRADERS IN AHIA OHURU MARKET, ABA ABIA STATE

The study examined health seeking behavior towards hypertension among adult traders in Ahia Ohuru Market Aba, Abia State. The state was randomly selected while the market was purposively chosen because it was one of the largest. Thereafter, 342 adult traders were selected by balloting. Information on adults’socio-demographic and health seeking behavior were gathered using questionnaire. Digital automatic blood pressure monitor was used to measure their blood pressures. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze data collected while association was tested using chi square.  Result showed that 35.3% and 14.9% visited private and government health facilities, respectively while 4.1% sought traditional health practitioners and 2.3% faith healers. On self-medication with herbal drugs, 22.5% and 28.1% did that most times when they were ill and for illness they considered severe. For pharmaceutical drugs, 46.5% and 14.2% self-medicated with them when sick and did that for mild illnesses most times, respectively  Blood pressure readings revealed that 39.4% had normal, 30.8% were pre-hypertensive and 18.9% and 10.9% had stages I and II hypertension, respectively. Association between adults’ health seeking behavior and blood pressure was positive and significant with visit to private health facility, self -medication with herbal, pharmaceutical drugs and faith healers with X2 and p-values of 12.56; 0.057, 23.67; 0.036, 27.56; 0.027 and 17.34; 0.043, respectively. In conclusion, seeking health care in questionable places or self- medication plus other factors may adversely affect onset and progression of hypertension.