reported a prevalence rate of 36.6% among elderly individuals which peaks at 49 years in both sexes using 140/90mmHg cutoff point. Thus, prevention and control of high blood pressure has become an important public health concern. There is substantial evidence that pharmacological therapy is effective in the control or prevention of Abstract There is emerging empirical evidence of the efficacy of exercise in blood pressure control, however, little is known about factors limiting exercise engagement in patients with hypertension. This cross-sectional study assessed knowledge, attitude and practice of exercise for blood pressure control among Nigerian patients with hypertension. A total of 150 (male, 66 and female, 84) patients with hypertension whose ages were 20 years and older participated in this study. A structured questionnaire which sought information on socio-demographics, knowledge, attitude and practice of exercise for blood pressure control was used to obtain data from the respondents who were recruited from selected government hospitals. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 Alpha level. More than half of the respondents, 90(60.0%) demonstrated poor exercise practice. A majority, 101(67.3%) had poor knowledge of exercise for hypertension control while a quarter, 39(26.0%) had positive attitude towards exercise. There were significant associations between knowledge of exercise and level of education (χ2=28.337; p=0.001), attitude (χ2=38.297; p=0.001) and practice of exercise (χ2=12.757; p=0.001) respectively. Significant association was found between knowledge and each of socioeconomic status (χ2=19.192; p=0.001) and attitude (χ2=25.634; p=0.001). Practice of exercise for blood pressure control was low among Nigerian patients with hypertension which was significantly influenced by poor knowledge of and negative attitude towards exercise practice for blood pressure control.
There is a long tradition of observational studies from developed societies linking overweight and obesity to low socioeconomic status (SES). The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between SES and obesity and determine whether variations in the body mass index (BMI) of adult Nigerians is influenced by their SES. The height and body weight of 1067 adults, aged 30-60 years were measured and their BMI was calculated. A structured questionnaire which assessed socioeconomic (SE) variables such as income, education and occupation was used to objectively classify the participants into the different SE strata. A pictorial self-rating SES ladder of nine rungs was employed to assess the participants' SES and to test the validity of the questionnaire. A high correlation ® = 0.951, P < 0.01) was found between the two SES assessment tools. SE scores were found to be inversely related to weight ® =-0.113, P < 0.01) and BM I ® =-0.172, P < 0.01), respectively. There was a significant relationship (X = 32.853; p = 0.000) between BMI categories and SES. 2 Individuals in the lower SES had higher rates of overweight (24.8%) and obesity (12.9%). There were significant differences in the weight (F = 8.407; p = 0.000) and BMI (F = 20.66; p= 0.000) across the different SE strata. An inverse relationship was found between SES and BMI. Individuals in the lower SE strata had a greater BMI and a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity.
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