Prevalence, knowledge and preventive practices against hypertension among police officers in Ibadan

Background: Hypertension is a major global health problem. Armed forces personnel are at increased risk of hypertension due to the  nature of their occupation as early responders. There is dearth of data on knowledge and prevalence of hypertension among police officers in Ibadan, Nigeria. This study was conducted to address this gap in knowledge.Methods: A total of 170 police officers participated in the study. A questionnaire was used to document demographic profile, knowledge and practices to prevent hypertension. Abdominal circumference and blood pressure were measured among study participants. A digital Omron HEM 8712 blood pressure monitor was used to assess BP and a non-stretchable measuring tape was used to determine waist circumference. Hypertension was assessed by >140/90 mmHg and abdominal obesity by >80cm for female and >94cm for male.Results: Mean age of respondents was 36.7±8.4 years; more than half (64.7%) were males. Majority (47.6%) had fair knowledge of hypertension. The prevalence of abdominal obesity and hypertension were 51.7% and 17.5% respectively. About a tenth (11.4%) were both hypertensive and obese. More females than males’ respondents had abdominal obesity (p=0.00); while more males (19.3%) than females (14.0%) were hypertensive (p=0.39). About twothird (68.2%) reported involvement in unhealthy preventive practices including consumption of alcohol, foods high in salt and fat content, and tobacco smoking. Older, married and senior officers were significantly at higher risk of being hypertensive than younger, never married, and junior officers.Conclusion: Police officers have adequate knowledge of hypertension but many in this group are hypertensive. Clinical and educational interventions are recommended to address the problem