Prevalence, Awareness and Correlates of Hypertension Among Urban Public Workers in Ondo State, Nigeria

Introduction: Due to the asymptomatic nature of hypertension, its diagnosis is often delayed, thus, leading to increasing morbidity and mortality. This study examines the prevalence, awareness and correlates of hypertension among apparently healthy adults working in an urban area of Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of 4844 public service workers drawn across the 47 ministries, departments and agencies in Akure, the state capital of Ondo State, Nigeria. The WHO STEPwise questionnaire was used for data collection. Blood pressure (BP), blood sugar, weight and height measurements followed standard procedures. Hypertension was defined as BP of ≥140/90 mmHg or a history of hypertension while self-reported prior diagnosis was defined as hypertension awareness. Bivariate and logistic analysis were performed to determine the prevalence, awareness and correlates of hypertension and a p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 35% while an additional 36.4% had pre-hypertension. Males had a slightly higher prevalence of hypertension (39.1%) compared to females (21.3%). Of all the hypertensive participants (n=1692), only 28% were aware of their hypertension status with a higher awareness rate among females (10.8%) compared to males (8.7%). After adjusting for confounders in a logistic regression model analysis, only male sex, age above 40 years, primary or no education, marriage, obesity and diabetes were independent and significant predictors of hypertension among the study participants. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension among the study participants with a high hypertension unawareness. There is a need to implement effective workplace health policy and regularly organise health screening for public civil servants in the setting to reduce the burden of undiagnosed hypertension and its accompanying complications

Confidential enquiries into maternal deaths in Ondo State, Nigeria - A comparative analysis

Background Paucity of data on state-wide maternal mortality in Nigeria hampers planning, monitoring and evaluation of the impact of interventions. The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in Ondo State was initiated to overcome this problem. This study aimed to compare trends of maternal mortality ratios, causes of deaths, geographical distribution and other associated factors in 12-monthly reports of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in Ondo State. Methods Notification forms were distributed throughout the State to focal persons and medical records officers at community and facility levels, respectively. Maternal deaths, as defined in the International Classification of Diseases 10th version, were recorded prospectively over 3 years from 1st June 2012 to 30th May, 2015. Forms were submitted, collated and data analysed by a multidisciplinary review committee. Results Reported numbers of maternal deaths (and maternal mortality ratios) were 114 (253 per 100,000 births), 89 (192) and 81 (170), respectively per year, indicating a 33% reduction in maternal mortality ratio over the course of the study period. Assuming that the confidential enquiry process was the only intervention at the time aimed at reducing maternal mortality, simple linear regression with a correlation coefficient of 0.9314, showed a relationship though the difference in the values were not statistically significant (95% CI = - 184.55 to 101.55, p = 0.169). Postpartum haemorrhage and eclampsia were the leading causes of deaths. Conclusion There was a trend of reduction in maternal mortality ratio during the period of study with postpartum haemorrhage as the major cause of death. The positive association between the confidential enquiry reports and maternal mortality ratios make us recommend that our model be adopted in other states and at the federal level.Research into fetal development and medicin

Pattern and correlates of obesity among public service workers in Ondo State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Background: Obesity is the third leading cause of mortality and has become a global epidemic. There is a continuous increase in its prevalence both in the developed and in developing countries. Obesity is closely associated with chronic health conditions, thus increasing the overall burden of disease and disability at the population level. Several factors have been identified as contributors to the obesity epidemic, and may include the work environment and lifestyle behaviours. This study sought to determine the correlates of obesity among public service workers in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional study involving 4 828 public civil service workers across 47 ministries, departments and agencies in Ondo State, Nigeria. Relevant demographic and lifestyle measures were obtained using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise Questionnaire. Height and weight were measured using standardised procedures. Obesity and overweight were defined according to the WHO Criteria as a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m2 and 25–29.9 kg/m2, respectively. Bivariate and multivariate (logistic regression models) analyses were used to determine the significant predictors of obesity. Results: Of the total participants (n = 4828), there was a male to female ratio of 1:1 (male = 2 299 and female = 2 529). One in every five participants was found to be obese with 55% of the participants having a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. In the bivariate analysis, female sex (p < 0.000), age above 41 years (p < 0.000), post-primary education level (p < 0.001), marriage (p < 0.000), no alcohol consumption (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.000) as well as hypertension (p < 0.000) were significantly associated with obesity. In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for confounders, only female sex (AOR = 5.7, CI = 4.7–6.9), age (AOR = 1.4, CI = 1.1–1.8), level of education (AOR = 0.8, CI = 0.7–0.9), marital status (AOR = 2.1, CI = 1.7–2.), alcohol consumption (AOR = 0.7, CI = 0.5–0.9), diabetes mellitus (AOR = 0.7, CI = 0.5–0.9) and hypertension (AOR = 0.5, CI = 0.4–0.6) were the significant and independent predictors of obesity. Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of obesity among public service workers in Akure, Nigeria, possibly attributed to ageing, being of female gender, being married, and having other non-communicable diseases. A well-implemented workplace policy focusing on integrated screening for obesity and non-communicable diseases should be prioritised in Nigeria. (Full text of the research articles are available online at www.medpharm.tandfonline.com/ojfp) S Afr Fam Pract 2017; DOI: 10.1080/20786190.2017.133378