Assessment of hypertension control in a district of Mombasa, Kenya

Abstract

As populations move to urban centres across East Africa, lifestyle habits that affect cardiovascular disease have changed, affecting non-communicable disease risk. In particular, the prevalence of hypertension, and associated awareness of this life-threatening condition, has not been studied in Mombasa, Kenya. This paper assesses the rates of prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Old Town, an urban district of the coastal city. We surveyed 469 subjects, gathered via a clustered sampling technique. Age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension was measured at 32.6% (±2.2) for adults over 18 and was linearly related to age. Results indicate that hypertension awareness was associated with age and sex, as women were substantially more likely to be aware of and to control their hypertension. Only 23.2% (±2.0) of subjects had knowledge of both the causes of and practical solutions to hypertension, and practical hypertension knowledge was associated with hypertension awareness and gender (women had higher rates of knowledge than men). These results indicate that hypertension is a real public health concern in Old Town, and that younger individuals, particularly males, are least likely to be aware of the dangers of hypertension. Public health measures should focus on this population.

Keywords:

• hypertension
• Mombasa
• Kenya
• blood pressure
• non-communicable diseases

Acknowledgements

I would first like to thank Yale University, the Yale Student Fellowships Association and Jonathan Edwards College for the financial support that made this research possible. In Mombasa, the work would not have been possible without the assistance of my two research aides, Hemed and Rukiya. In addition to language help, they were essential in helping me gain trust from the community that I needed to conduct the research. I can't thank them enough. Athman and Muni, as well as the rest of the Swahili Resource Council in Mombasa, provided assistance in creating the research method, and I owe them my gratitude.

Notes

1. Miraa is the Kenyan name for khat, leaves of Catha edulis. It is popular across the Arabian Peninsula and is farmed in the highlands of Kenya. It is a nervous system stimulant containing cathinone and cathine.