Prevalence And Associated Risk Factors Of Hypertension In The Community Of Jamshoro

Abstract

Background: The WHO estimates that 1.28 billion adults worldwide suffer from hypertension, making it a growing public health concern, particularly in low-resource settings. Many risk factors influenced such as age, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and family history.  However, research indicates that many communities still lack of awareness and knowledge of these factors. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of hypertension in adults in district Jamshoro.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in district Jamshoro, A non probability convenience sampling was used and total 160 participate included in the study ages (≥18 years). Data were collect through face to face personal interviewed with an adopted multilingual questionnaire covering demographics, lifestyle, medical history, and BMI. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used, and Chi-square tests in SPSS v27 assessed associations, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Informed consent and ethical approval were obtained.

Results: Among the 160 participants, 35.6% were found to be hypertensive. Significant associations with hypertension were observed for age, marital status, current smoking, family history of hypertension, and medication non-compliance (p < 0.05). No significant associations were found with dietary habits or awareness of physical activity. However, a significant association was observed between the belief that obesity (p = 0.022) and inappropriate sleep (p = 0.038) can cause hypertension. Although BMI was not significantly associated overall (p = 0.194), a linear trend suggested that increasing BMI may elevate the risk of hypertension (p = 0.070).

Conclusion: The study found that more than one-third of the participants had high blood pressure, with significant associations found with age, marital status, current smoking, family history, and a moderate association with BMI. Additionally, hypertensive individuals exhibited higher awareness of factors such as obesity and poor sleep patterns. These findings underscore the importance of implementing targeted health interventions focused on lifestyle modifications and educational strategies to address hypertension risk factors.

Keywords: Hypertension, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Community.