Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Associated Factors Among Adults in Areka Town, Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Hypertension is an emerging public health problem in many low- and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. However, there are limited studies and data are scarce in these countries, particularly in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors in this study area.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Areka town. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 581 adults. Information on socio-demographic data, behavioral and dietary habits, and family history of hypertension were collected using face-to-face interview. Measurements of weight, height, and blood pressure were taken using digital weighing scale, Stadio-meter, and digital sphygmomanometer respectively. Data were entered and cleaned in Epi-Data version 3.1, and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Binary logistic regressions were done and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to identify associated factors.

Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension among the study participants was 19.1% (95% CI: 15.9-22.4). Out of these, more than half (57.3%) of the cases were newly screened for hypertension. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis; history of perceived childhood obesity (AOR:2.8 (95% CI:1.6,5.1)), age 55 years and above (AOR=8.90, 95% CI: 3.77-21.02), family history of hypertension (AOR= 2.57, 95% CI: 1.17-5.64), fatty meat intake (AOR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.05-3.65), eating vegetables less than two days per week (AOR=2.81, 95% CI: 1.24-6.37) and being obese (AOR=11.59, 95% CI: 4.7-27.62) were associated factors of developing hypertension.

Conclusion: The study revealed that the prevalence was found to be high among adults indicating the hidden burden of the problem in the area. Therefore, the health systems need to develop strategies for community-based screening, strategies that focus on life cycle-based approach because childhood and adolescence are crucial times for the prevention of NCDs including hypertension. Health education on eating behavior and life style modifications to maintain normal body weight are recommended.