Factors associated with the level of adherence to hypertension self-management practices among older persons at Tororo General Hospital

Abstract

Background: The risk of hypertension increases with age. The number of hypertensive older persons in Uganda and the rest of the world has risen. Hypertension self-management practices have been proven beneficial in controlling blood pressure and preventing complications thus the need for the older persons to adhere to them. Studies in this age group are limited in Eastern Uganda despite having the country’s highest number of older persons and the second highest prevalence of hypertension.

Objective: To determine the level of adherence to the hypertension self-management practices and the factors associated with good level of adherence among older persons attending the Non-Communicable Diseases clinic at Tororo general hospital.

Methods: A facility-based cross sectional study was done among hypertensive older persons at the out-patient Department of Tororo general hospital. 74 participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data was collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. The Self-Care Activity Level Effects (H–SCALE) questionnaire was used to assess adherence to the self-management practices. Data analysis was done using Stata version 17.0 and the generalized linear model

Results: The level of adherence to the hypertension self-management practices was 36.5%. Adherence to diet, weight management, medication usage, physical activity, non-smoking and recommended alcohol was 0.0%, 31.1%, 44.6%, 50.0%, 90.5% and 100% respectively. The significant factors associated with good adherence were marital status p-value 0.01 and duration with hypertension p-value 0.03.

Conclusion: The level of adherence to the hypertension self-management practices among the older persons was low. The factors significantly associated with good practices were marital status and duration with hypertension. There is need for implementation of the chronic care model at the clinic to improve adherence.