Abstract:

Introduction: Hypertension have become of medical and public health concern globally. It is a known major risk factor for stroke, coronary artery disease and heart failure. Important risk factors contributing to hypertension are lifestyle and genetic factors. With rapid urbanization and increasing sedentary lifestyle of our rural populace, an explosion in the prevalence of hypertension becomes inevitable. Therefore, the importance of this study to assess the burden and risk factors of hypertension in these rural communities cannot be over emphasized. Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence of diabetes in rural communities in Abuja FCT Nigeria. 2. To determine the prevalence of and associated risk factors of hypertension in rural communities in Abuja. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed in this study which was conducted between July and December 2017. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 420 willing adult participants from rural communities, in four political wards, selected from three area councils of FCT Abuja. Data were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire while measurements were done with standardized instruments for blood pressure and blood sugar as well as weight and height measurements following recommended techniques and guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version. Univariate analyses were performed to evaluate the distribution for each variable. Binomial test was used to test the hypothesis. Multivariate analyses were done to identify the risk factors of hypertension. Results were considered significant at p-value < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of 38.3% and 25.2% were reported for hypertension and obesity in rural communities in Abuja respectively. Risk factors such as female sex, age 45 years and above, overweight/Obesity, physical inactivity, family history of hypertension and family history of diabetes were independent predictors of hypertension. Conclusion: This study has highlighted the fact that hypertension in addition to obesity is on the increase in the rural communities of Abuja, Nigeria. Therefore, concerted and coordinated effort from all stakeholders is urgently required to tame and reverse this ugly trend in view of the debilitating morbidity and mortality associated with hypertension.

Keywords: Hypertension, prevalence, risk factors, obesity, rural communities, Abuja.

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