Adherence to Lifestyle Recommendations among Adults Attending Hypertension Clinics in Selected Hospitals in Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Background and aims: Hypertension is the first contributor to the deaths caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. A change of lifestyle is recommended as an equal-first-line approach for controlling hypertension. However, the burden of uncontrolled hypertension remains high. This article describes the level of adherence to recommended lifestyle modifications among hypertensive patients in Tanzania.

Methods: The research was carried out from June to September 2020 using a cross-sectional study that involved an interviewer-administered questionnaire with 311 participants. These were patients with hypertension (> 18 years old) who were randomly selected from patients attending clinics during the study period. The lifestyle behaviours were assessed using the WHO Steps survey standard questionnaire. SPSS, version 26, was used to enter and analyse the data.

Results: The mean age of hypertensive patients was 53.6 ± 7.5 years. Females were 58.8%. Only 17.7% had good compliance with the recommended lifestyle behaviours related to hypertension. Regular physical activities had 37.9% adherence, 99% adhered to non-smoking, 94.2% adhered to moderation of alcohol consumption, and 22.2% adhered to the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Patients with adequate knowledge were two times more likely to comply with the WHO recommended lifestyle behaviours (aOR=2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.082 to 3.471; P= .05].

Conclusion: Most patients with hypertension had poor lifestyle behaviours for the management of hypertension, with varying level of adherence to the recommended life style changes.