A Focused Group Perspective of Risk Factors for Hypertension Among Middle-Aged Adults in Rural Areas of Anambra State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Recent records by the World Health Organization show that hypertension is more prevalent in Africa than in other parts of the world, and remains the foremost common risk factor for cardiovascular-related diseases, stroke, renal diseases, and death. However, little is known about the risk factors for hypertension by people from rural areas, especially among middle-aged adults. Therefore, the study examined the knowledge of the risk factors for hypertension among middle-aged adults in rural areas of Anambra state, Nigeria.

Materials, and method

Focus group discussions were used to collect data from 40 middle-aged adults (20 males and 20 females). Two key themes stood out from the data collection guides. These are “awareness of hypertension and its’ symptoms” and “knowledge of risk factors of hypertension”.

Results

The findings showed that the participants were aware of hypertension but lacked in-depth knowledge of the risk factors for the disease. Most participants did not believe that intake of certain foods like starchy foods and excess alcohol consumption could lead to one being hypertensive.

Discussion and conclusion

There is a need for social workers to sensitize and enlighten the middle-aged adults in the study area on the risk factors for the disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Hypertension
• cultural practices
• middle-aged adults
• social work
• Nigeria

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.