The Prevalence of Hypertension and Awareness of its Associated Risk Factors Among Electronic News Media Workers in Owerri, Imo State
Abstract:
The elevated incidence of hypertension and its heart-related consequences in Nigeria have been linked to a host of largely avoidable risk factors. Because of their line of work and amount of exposure, people who work in the electronic media are not immune to the prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors. Therefore, the Owerri metropolitan area should look into these issues. A modified version of the WHO STEPwise instrument, which consists of a questionnaire component and blood pressure measurement, was utilized in this descriptive cross-sectional study design. To assess the validity and reliability of the instrument, pilot tests were conducted. The chi squared test (p-value) was used to analyze the statistical data from the 338 respondents that made up the study sample. In Nigeria, the prevalence of hypertension and associated cardiovascular problems is rising. A range of SPSS tools were used to show the data in tabular and narrative formats. An odd ratio of 95% was employed to assess the association between sociodemographic characteristics and hypertension. The frequency was found to be 15.3%, with higher rates among men, the elderly, those who work more than eight hours a day, and those who have worked for more than five years. The results of the chi square test showed that the data have a statistically significant positive correlation and association. Among the problemsidentified are alcohol consumption (42.9%), overweight (41.9%), sedentarism (38.9%), obesity (19.7%), and a bad attitude regarding hypertension (18.7%). Yet, the prevalence of hypertension will decrease with regular checks with the doctor and health education regarding a healthy lifestyle.
