Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Towards Risk Factors of Hypertension Among Outpatients at BMC Hospital

Abstract

In many developing nations, hypertension is becoming a rising public health issue. However, the awareness of hypertension among BMC Hospital patients has not yet been examined. As a result, the purpose of this study is to analyse outpatients' knowledge, attitude, and practice about hypertension risk factors at BMC Hospital. Controlling hypertension requires a patient's education, attitude, and practice. The study's findings will give information that may be utilised to establish long-term strategies for educating patients and the community about the negative health consequences of hypertension. During the data collecting period, the target population comprised of outpatients seeking treatment at BMC Hospital. The outpatient department of BMC Hospital sees around 24,515 people each year. The sample size for this study was calculated using the Cochran method for a single cross-sectional survey, yielding a sample size of 340 BMC Hospital outpatients.Face-to-face structured questionnaires were provided to all participants at the outpatient department to collect data. SPSS was used to enter and analyse the data. The prevalence of hypertension was assessed, and hypertension knowledge, attitude, and practices, including hypertension thresholds, risk factors, and complications, were examined. The lifestyle variables related with hypertension were investigated using logistic regression analysis, which yielded odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. A p 0.05 significance level was judged statistically significant. The BMC Hospital's ethics committee authorized this investigation, and all study participants provided written informed permission. The analysis comprised data from 272 outpatients after data quality checks and missing data elimination. 77 (28.3%) of them were between the ages of 26 and 35. The majority of respondents (63.2%) were women, married (66.2%), and lived in rural regions (76.1%). The prevalence of hypertension was determined to be 22.1% at BMC Hospital.The study found a clear tendency of decreasing understanding of hypertension risk factors, with 216 (79.4%) individuals expressing limited knowledge of hypertension risk factors. Only 23.2% of patients were aware that stress or worry might raise their chance of developing hypertension. However, 44.9% of respondents had a positive opinion towards the need of stress reduction, lifestyle adjustments, frequent medication, and regular blood pressure measurement as hypertension prevention methods is emphasized.