Magnitude and Determinants of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension in Selected General Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background:Hypertension in pregnancy continue to be among the major causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, affecting 5-6% of pregnancies globally and contributing to a significant diseaseburden. Aims and objectives: To assess prevalence and factors associated with pregnancy induced hypertension among pregnant women aged 15 to 49 years at three general hospitals of Lusaka District. Methodology:Conducted cross sectional study with 413 systematically selected pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Chawama, Chipata and Matero general hospitals from January 2019 to July 2020. The sample size for each hospital was determined proportionally based on twelve months of antenatal care visit data. Blood pressure, heights, weights, Body mass index and urinalysis were measured on all the study participants. A structured questionnaire collected data on social demographic and economic factors, reproductive and medical history. Data was analyzed using STATA version 13. Chi-square and fisher’s exact tests identified association between PIH and various variables with multiple logistic regression used to control for confounders. Statistical significance was set at <0.05. Results:The prevalence of Pregnancy induced hypertension was found to be 21%. Significant predictors of PIH included Stress during pregnancy (AOR = 2.28, 95% CI =1.35-3.85, p=0.002), lack of exercise (AOR = 0.48, 95% CI =0.28-0.81, p=0.007), high BMI (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI =1.12-2.19, p=0.007) and consuming alcohol (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI =1.03-5.09, p=0.042).Conclusion:The prevalence of PIH was 21% with significant association observed between PIH and stress, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise and high BMI during pregnanc. Keywords: Pregnancy Induced hypertension; Prevalence; Associated factors, Antenatal mothers.