title: High blood pressure in a semi-urban community in south-south Nigeria: a community-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non communicable diseases (NCDs) are taking their toll in most low and middle income countries; incidentally, in the same populations that are struggling to deal with communicable diseases, hence presenting a picture of "double tragedy". Most of the researches conducted on NCDs are facility-based; often in urban locations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of high BP in a semi-urban community in Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was a cross-sectional study, where all the adult residents of the community were enrolled. Data was collected using a multi-section questionnaire, including anthropometric measurements. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS 17.0 for windows and STATA 10.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that 47.0% of the study population had a raised BP ≥140/90mmHg. At a univariate level, age, sex, higher income, more people in the household, daily cigarette smoking, daily alcohol intake and BMI, showed increased risk for high BP. However, sleeping for at least 8 hours a day showed protective influence against raised BP among the participants. In the adjusted model, only age, sex and BMI remained statistically significant with Odds Ratio (OR) of 1.04 (95%CI; 1.00, 1.08), 0.45 (95%CI; 0.22, 0.90) and 1.08(95%CI; 1.03, 1.13) respectively. The model had an area under curve of 71.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that there is a high prevalence of raised BP in this semi-urban community, thus the need for intervention and preventive services to curb the looming epidemic of hypertension in this community in particular, and Nigeria as a whole, cannot be overemphasized.
authors: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. uwemedimbuk@yahoo.com
authors: U S
authors: US
authors: Ekanem
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Opara
authors: C D
authors: CD
authors: Akwaowo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013383:Suburban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: BMI; High BP; prevalence
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