Self Care Practices and Knowledge of Hypertension Management Among Patients Attending Clinics in Tanzania: A Multi Centre Analytical Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is a serious public health problem. Adherence to the recommended self-care practices (SCPs) significantly prevented hypertension and abated its undesired related health outcomes. This study assessed the SCPs, knowledge of hypertension management, and factors associated with SCPs adherence among adults attending clinics in selected hospitals in Tanzania.
Methods: A hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 311 adult hypertensive patients attending clinics in Dodoma and Dar-es-Salaam regions in Tanzania. This sample was systematically randomly selected during clinic visits, thus making a total of nine visits for the total sample. SCPs were assessed using the self-administered Hypertension Self-care Activity Level Effect Scale (H-SCALE). Analysis was done using SPSS, version 29.
Results: The mean age of the surveyed hypertensive patients was 53.6 ± 7.5 years. Overall, 25.1% had good SCPs, 76.2% adhered to prescribed antihypertensive drugs, 99.0% were non-smokers, 95.2% were non-alcohol users, 59.5% observed recommended dietary plans, 64.3% had regular physical activities, and 66.2% observed a diverse set of recommended eating and lifestyle behaviour. 71.1% had adequate knowledge about hypertension management. On binary logistic regression analysis, high odds of SCP adherence among hypertensive patients was associated with the absence of a family history of hypertension (AOR=2.5, 95% CI=1.2-5.0, P=.01) and adequate knowledge (AOR=2.3, 95% CI=1.8-4.4, P=.003). Conversely, the absence of comorbidities was associated with lower odds of SCPs among hypertensive patients (AOR=0.5, CI=0.3-0.9, P=.03).
Conclusion: This study found that most hypertensive patients had poor SCPs. There is a discrepancy between the level of knowledge and the day to day SCPs among hypertensive patients. Interventions should be responsive to how familial health history and comorbidities impact SCPs, thus empowering the patient with such knowledge and skills to manage hypertension properly.