Health practices among rural adults regarding prevention of Hypertension

Abstract

Bangladesh is currently facing the epidemiological transition from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Rural people are more vulnerable due to their poor healthcare accessibility. Although hypertension (HTN) is preventable, the issue is not that emphasized in rural areas. The current study was conducted during the second half of 2023 among rural adults to assess the level of health practices along with their determinants regarding the prevention of HTN. It was a cross-sectional study among 355 participants selected through multi-stage sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire developed based on the objectives. The mean age of the respondents was 41.5 years and more than two-thirds (66.8%) of the respondents were males. The majority (84.8%) of the respondents were Muslims. The average monthly family income was around 19000 Taka. The findings indicated a predominant lack of adequate knowledge, unfavorable attitudes, and poor health practices concerning hypertension prevention among the study population. Socioeconomic factors such as gender disparity, monthly family income and educational status, along with regional variations, significantly influenced health behaviors (p<0.05). Besides the background issues, knowledge, attitude, and self-control were found to be significantly associated with health practices regarding HTN prevention (p<0.05). The average score of practice regarding HTN prevention increased gradually with the level of knowledge and attitude. Policymakers should give more emphasis on community awareness to ensure healthy practices regarding HTN prevention.