Contribution of dietary pattern and family history to hypertension among adults in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Hypertension is a disorder of the heart and blood vessels which increases the risk of other cardiovascular diseases including heart attack and stroke which responsible for many deaths around the world.Objective: This study assessed the contribution of dietary pattern and family history to hypertension among adults in Abeokuta, Ogun State.Methods: A total number 300 respondents who gave their consent were recruited into the study. A pre-tested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire which covered questions on demographic characteristics, dietary pattern, family history of hypertension and diabetes was used for data collection. The blood pressure (mmHg) of respondents was also assessed using standard procedures. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: More than half (59.0%) of the respondents had post-secondary school education and 65% earned more than 40,000 naira per month. Only 6.7% consumed fruits daily and 80.7% ate less than 4 servings of fruit and vegetables per week. Family history of hypertension and diabetes was reported in 17.3% and 10.7% of the respondents, respectively while 28.9% were hypertensive. Dietary pattern had no statistically significant contribution except for salt that slightly contributed to hypertension and this was statistically significant (p = 0.015). However, family history of hypertension and diabetes significantly contributed 19.4% and 8.9%, respectively to hypertension in this study.Conclusion: There was no association between dietary pattern of the respondents and hypertension but excessive salt intake, family history of hypertension and diabetes contributed to hypertension in this study.Keywords: Hypertension, dietary pattern, family history, fruit