ORIGINAL: Relationship Between Blood Pressure Control and Self-Care Practices Among Hypertensive Patients Attending Family Medicine Clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria

West Afr J Med. 2024 June; 41(6): 659–667 PMID: 39340787

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide and poses a global health challenge. Self-care practices are essential for blood pressure control and reduction of complications of hypertension such as cardiovascular and renal diseases.

Aim: The study aimed to assess the relationship between blood pressure control and hypertension self-care practices among hypertensive patients attending the Family Medicine clinic of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos, Nigeria.

Methodology: A descriptive, hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 hypertensive patients attending the outpatient clinic. The participants were recruited using systematic sampling with a sampling interval of 1 in 4. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain relevant data. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.

Results: A total of 407 participants were enrolled in the study. In this study, 56.8% of the participants had good blood pressure control. On hypertension self-care practices, only 1 % of the participants adhered to low salt diet; 45% adhered to recommended physical activity; 52.8% adhered to weight management; 71.5% had good medication adherence; 93.9% abstained from alcohol and 96.8% of participants abstained from smoking. Overall, none of the domains of hypertension self-care practice was associated with blood pressure control even though there was a trend that those who adhered to the domains of self-care practice had better blood pressure control.

Conclusion: Hypertension self-care practice among participants could be better. Participants who had good self-care practice had better blood pressure control however; this was not statistically significant.