title: Knowledge and prevalence of risk factors for arterial hypertension and blood pressure pattern among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High job strain, mental stress, sedentary lifestyle, increase in BMI are among the factors associated with significantly higher incidence of hypertension. The job of bank employees is both sedentary in nature and accompanies high mental stress. The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of risk factors among respondents and to compare the blood pressure pattern of bankers and traffic wardens.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study design is a descriptive cross-sectional conducted among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin to determine the pattern and knowledge of blood pressure. Self-administered questionnaires, weighing scale (Omron Digital scale), stadiometer and sphygmomanometer were used as the research instruments. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents involved in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 34.4% in bankers and 22.2% in traffic wardens. The risk factors the bankers commonly had knowledge of are alcohol, obesity, high salt intake, certain drugs, stress, emotional problems and family history while the traffic wardens commonly had knowledge of all these in addition to cigarette smoking. Also, more bankers (32.2%) than traffic wardens (13.3%) were smoking cigarette and more of these cigarette smokers that are bankers (17.8%) had elevated blood pressure compared to the traffic wardens (3.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Workers in the banking industry as well as traffic wardens should be better educated about the risk factors of hypertension and bankers should be encouraged to create time for exercise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Salaudeen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Musa
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Center, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Babatunde
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Center, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Atoyebi
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Center, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Durowade
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: L O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Omokanye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003132:Commerce; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hypertension; bankers; risk factors; traffic wardens