Prevalence of Elevated and Hypertension among Secondary School Students in Ghana
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Abstract
Introduction: Worldwide prevalence of hypertension in 2014 was 22% and is expected to increase.Prevalence of hypertension has been on the increase among adolescentsworldwide that persist during adulthood and has become a major public health problem. However, few studies on hypertension has been studied among secondary school students in Ghana. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study design was conducted among 14-19-year-old secondary school students in two districts of Ghana. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, blood pressure, physical activity, weight and height. Two blood pressure measurements were taken for each student with Omron HBP-1100 automated BP (blood pressure) monitor while weight and height were taken with Tanita Model HD 309 and Seca body Meter Model 208 respectively. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 22 with descriptive statistics such as means, frequencies and percentages. Chi-Square test and Logistic regression were also utilized. Results: Prevalence of hypertension and elevated was 24.4%. There were 11.0% students who were overweight while2.2% were obese. Approximately 34.6% of the students were physically inactive. The independent variables in the logistics regression for hypertension was body mass index and physical activity. Conclusion:Risk factors of hypertension are increasing among students. A behavioral modification intervention should be implemented in secondary schools to reduce risk factors of hypertension among the students.