Background: Uncontrolled or sub optimally treated high blood pressure may have negative consequences on the cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or renal systems. This may contribute to high rates of morbidity and mortality. The study assessed the sociodemographic predictors of medication adherence among adult patients with hypertension at the Hypertension Clinic of the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital in Ghana. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study setting was the hypertension clinic of the Bawku Presbyterian hospital in the Upper East region of Ghana. A total of 269 adults with hypertension referring to the clinic were recruited using convenience sampling in 2020. The Hill-Bone Medication Adherence Scale was used to measure medication adherence whilst a researcher made questionnaire was used to gather data on demographic variables and contributory factors. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Regression analysis was done to identify predictors of medication adherence. ‘P’ value of < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant for all analyses. Results: Majority of the patients scored high on imperfect adherence (59.5%) to antihypertensive medication. The predictors of medication adherence were income (p=0.003), duration of being on antihypertensive (p=0.021) and level of education (p=0.000). Among the perceived factors influencing medication adherence, the patients were more agree with forgetfulness (92.6%), and inadequate knowledge on antihypertensive (82.6%). Conclusions: It is recommended that the health care team, especially nurses, in the face of patients with hypertension, investigate the predictive and influencing factors found in this study and take appropriate measures to ensure that patients adhere to the drug.
Background: Risky sexual behaviors (RSBs) are behaviors that could result in unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. These behaviors are often initiated during adolescence, and the frequency of engagement in such behaviors rises with increasing age during the teenage years. It has been asserted that exposures to sexual materials early in life could lead to early sex debut among adolescents. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the early life exposures contributing to RSBs among basic school pupils in the Twifo Praso District of Ghana. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Three hundred and sixty basic school pupils were selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The study found that 64.4% of the respondents have had sexual intercourse at a mean age of 13.7 years. Respondents from polygamous homes were more likely to engage in earlier sexual debut than those from monogamous home ( r = 0.0343, P = 0.003). Furthermore, having a high number of friends who have had sex was associated with an early sexual debut ( r = 0.720, P = 0.000). Conclusion: Adolescents are initiating sexual intercourse very early in life and this calls for customized reproductive health promotion activities aimed at minimizing risky sexual behaviors. Further studies on how parent–child sexual communication could delay sexual debut are recommended.
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