PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING AND MIDWIFERY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, TAMALE CAMPUS

Abstract

Hypertension is the foremost cause of mortality, affecting 1.28 billion adults aged 29-80 years globally. It affects 25% of men and 20% of women. Its burden is unreasonably felt in poor nations, where 67% of cases are found. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among nursing and midwifery students of the Tamale campus of the University for Development Studies (LIDS). A quantitative analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 412 nursing and midwifery students of LIDS. A questionnaire was used to collect information from respondents, including blood pressure (BP), height, weight, and other lifestyle and medical risk factors. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated from respondent's height and weight. The data were processed and analyzed using SPSS (version 24). A statistically significant P-value of 0.05 was chosen. The prevalence of hypertension, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension in the students was 39.8% (95% CI: 35.0% to 44.7%), 9.5% (95% CI: 2.8% to 16.2%), 16.3% (95% CI: 9.6% to 23.0%), and 23.5% (95% CI: 16.8% to 30.2%), respectively. The knowledge level of hypertension among the students was 73.5%. The risk of hypertension was increased among students aged 36-40 years (OR = 6.67, 95% CI: 2.49-17.890, p < 0.001), male students (Odds ratio = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.03-2.67, p =0.039), and overweight students (OR = 8.47, 95% CI: 1.05 to 68.29. p= 0.045). This analytical cross-sectional study shed light on the prevalence of hypertension among nursing and midwifery students at LIDS on Tamale Campus. The prevalence of hypertension and obesity was found to be greater among students in this research. Students should also be sensitized on hypertension issues to enable them to detect traits of hypertension