July 2015 Vol. 3 No. 7

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Original Research Article

Prevalence of hypertension among adults attending Faith-based Centres in Abak Township, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Anthony Fidelis Uwah*, Jessie Idongesit Ndem and Uka Emmanuel

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: drtonyfideluwah@yahoo.com,drtonyfideluwah@gmail.com
Tel: +234 (0) 8038888814

Accepted January 19, 2015

Abstract

Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease globally and one of the major cause of morbidity and mortality among adults black. Apart from secular work, many adults in our environment expend a sizeable part of their time, energy and income on activities at faith-based centres. Our study evaluated the prevalence of hypertension among adults who attend faith-based centres in Abak, a metropolitan city in Akwa Ibom State, the South-South region of Nigeria. Out of the 393 subjects assessed, 62.8% individuals were found to have blood pressure (BP) above 140/90 mmHg, which exceeds the reported average global prevalence for hypertension. 50% of young adults (18 – 45 years) had blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg, 60.1 % of the middle aged persons (46 – 60 years) had BP above 140/90 mmHg, while 85.3% of the elderly (above 60 years) assessed had BP above 140/90 mmHg. Sex distribution of individuals with BP>140/90 mmHg showed 55.5% males, while 44.5% were females. Out of the 140 young adults assessed, 42.9% were JNC-6 stage 1, 35.7% were pre-hypertensive, while 14.2% had normal BP. The cause of this high prevalence of BP in Abak may be multifactoral, including ignorance and lack of health education, over-dependence on spiritual solutions on health issues and low socioeconomic status.

Keywords: Abak, Blood pressure, Hypertension, Religious worshippers