A Qualitative Study on the Effects of Health Literacy in Population with Hypertension at Blossom Health Care Center, Kabul City, Afghanistan

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic disease common in developing countries like Afghanistan, and improving patient awareness of the risk factors and the significance of regular treatment decreases the burden of the disease. In Afghanistan, a higher level of health literacy can help patients with hypertension to know the risk factors, the role of lifestyle management, and the significance of regular treatment for hypertension. Also, a higher level of health literacy can provide venues for the patient to comprehend the provided information and actively participate in the care. Alternatively, patients with lower health literacy might need to appropriately understand the information related to diet, treatment, and provider communication during the management of hypertension. A lack of understanding of hypertension-related treatment suggestions might lead to poor compliance with hypertension medication. This qualitative study aimed to assess the health literacy level among patients seeking care for hypertension at Blossom Health Care Center in Kabul, Afghanistan. A total of 198 patients who had hypertension participated in the study, and patients were interviewed using a Likert scale for responses generated by a focus group of 10 Afghan doctors practicing in Kabul, Afghanistan. We found that 68.7% of patients with hypertension scored Strongly Disagree to having adequate hypertension knowledge. Moreover, around 37.3% of participants indicated Always visiting a doctor for this condition, and 38.4 indicated Always taking their medication. Studies have shown that lower health literacy in patients with hypertension might negatively impact their health outcomes. Therefore, increasing awareness and knowledge of hypertension related-treatment among people with hypertension might improve their overall health and well-being.