Differentials in lifestyle practices and determinants among hypertensive adults from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

Introduction: hypertension is a major public health problem globally. The occurrence has been associated with unhealthy lifestyles (such as high salt consumption, physical inactivity, excessive intake of alcohol and unhealthy diet), which are very critical for hypertension control. The study was conducted to assess the lifestyle practices and their determinants among adults with hypertension in Nigeria.

Methods: data on 762 adults living with hypertension were extracted from a cross-sectional survey conducted across three States (Abia, Kano and Oyo States) in Nigeria. A semi-structured pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Knowledge of lifestyle practices was categorized into good and poor at 25^th percentile cut-off point. Overall lifestyle practice was grouped into healthy and unhealthy practices. Healthy lifestyle practice was defined as score of four and above while unhealthy lifestyle practice was defined as score of three and below; in all the 7 specific domains of lifestyle practices assessed (maximum obtainable was 7). The cut off was chosen based on 90% sensitivity from the Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) distribution of the scores. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to explore associations and determine predictors of lifestyle practices. Level of significance was set at 5%.

Results: the mean age of the respondents was 55.4±16.3 years. About one-quarter of the respondents (24.3%) had good knowledge of lifestyle practices. Overall, 11.8% of respondents were engaged in good lifestyle practices. Independent predictors of good lifestyle practices were earning monthly income of N30,000 and above [AOR=1.58; 95% CI (1.03-2.42)], being a farmer [AOR=1.09; 95% CI (0.55-2.18)] and artisan [AOR=1.50; 95% CI (0.70-3.14)].

Conclusion: the poor knowledge of lifestyle practices and engagement among adults with hypertension found in this study underscore the need to emphasize integrating lifestyle education for effective management of hypertension.