Prevalence and Pattern of Blood Pressure and Anthropometric Measurements: A comparative cross-sectional study in Kwara Central, North-Central Nigeria

Background: The elderly are usually prone to different age-related chronic non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). CVDs cause mortality, particularly in the elderly, and hypertension and obesity are important risk factors in their development. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of blood pressure and anthropometric measurements among the elderly in rural and urban areas of Kwara Central, North-Central NigeriaMaterials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analytical (comparative) study among 300 elderly people in the rural and urban communities in Kwara Central, North-central, Nigeria. Respondents were selected through a multi-stage random sampling technique. Data was collected through the use of pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Analysis was carried out using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 20. Data were presented in tables and charts. The level of significance was predetermined at a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence level.Results: The mean age of the elderly in the rural community was 76 ± 11.6 years compared to 74 ± 10.4 years for the urban community. The proportion of the female respondents was higher than males in both rural group 96 (64.0%) and urban group 84 (56.0%). The waist circumferences and waist-to-hip ratios were significantly higher among the elderly in the urban communities (20.0%, 20.7%) than in the rural communities (11.3%, 16%) (p= 0.039). Similarly, there were significantly more overweight and obese elderly in the urban communities (18.0%, 16.0%) than those in the rural communities (12.7%, 4.7%) (p= 0.003). The proportion of those with elevated blood pressure in the urban group was significantly higher than those in the rural group (p =0.038).Conclusion: The blood pressure pattern and anthropometric indices that portend an increased cardiovascular risk among the elderly were more prevalent in the urban than in the rural communities