Knowledge, attitude and practice of hypertensive patients in a rural area in Sudan

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is the leading cause for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. HTN is considered as a hidden epidemic in middle and low income countries like Sudan and has huge burden on the health system. Knowledge is an important prerequisite for an individual to implement behavioural changes towards the control of HTN and prevention of its complications. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of populations in a rural area in Sudan towards HTN. Materials and Methods This was a community–based cross-sectional study, conducted in February -March 2023 among the population of a rural area in Gezira state in central part of Sudan. A structured interviewer-administered; questionnaire was used for data collection, it included demographic data, and relevant clinical data was collected. The total number of participants in this study was 130 both hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals. Operational definitions and Likert scale was used to compare the variables. Results: 63.0% of participants have good basic knowledge of hypertension, 89.4 % of them have good attitude towards HTN and 80.4% of the study participants have good practices towards control of hypertension. There was significant association between being hypertensive and level of knowledge regarding: causes, symptoms, risk factors, P-value, 0.005, 0.05, 0.01 respectively. Conclusion The results stated that there was adequate knowledge ab There was significant association between being hypertensive and level of knowledge regarding: causes, symptoms, risk factors, P-value, 0.005, 0.05, 0.01 respectively. out hypertension, as well as attitude and self-care practice towards control of hypertension among the participants. These findings suggest that there is a high level of awareness and proper management practices among the community, although there is still room for improvement, particularly in understanding the role of smoking as a risk factor for hypertension and the need for proper follow-up and adherence to medication even in the presence of side effects.