NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE ITS ASSOCIATION TO HYPERTENSION AND OTHER FACTORS AMONG ADULTS IN KAWEMPE DIVISION: A COMMUNITY BASED CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Abstract

Background. Nutrition is often overlooked in everyday health care regardless of the known link between diet and health. Despite the importance of having balanced diet, most people are not eating a diet with sufficient or quality proportion of nutrients. Knowledge of health outcomes regarding hypertension and diet, may be useful in controlling hypertension among individuals. Hypertension was an uncommon disease in African population, but the number of people living with hypertension has increased since 1990 from 54.6 million to 130.2 million in 2010 and it is estimated that by 2030 the number will have increased to 216.8 million people. This has caused massive economic burden in terms of care for the complications arising as well as indirect costs such as lost productivity of work. Dietary intake, physical activity, nutrition knowledge are some of the modifiable factors in the control of hypertension. Obtaining the appropriate and necessary diet to control hypertension among adults can only be achieved if their nutritional knowledge is improved. Objective. To determine nutrition knowledge and its association to hypertension and other factors among adults in Kawempe division. Methodology. A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted among 459 adults in Kawempe division. Structured questionnaires were administered using face-to-face interview to assess dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, physical activity, and social-demographic characteristic of individuals. Weight and height of the participants were measured to determine their BMI, while systolic and diastolic pressure was taken to determine their blood pressure status. Modified Poisson regression was used to determine nutrition knowledge and its association to hypertension. Results. Prevalence of good nutrition knowledge was 40%. Majority of those who had good nutrition knowledge were females, aged 18-35, married and with at least secondary level education. Good nutrition knowledge was not associated with hypertension. Although blood pressure, physical activity, dietary intake and BMI were observed not to be associated with good nutrition knowledge, education, marital status, employment, age and sex was associated Conclusion and recommendation. Good nutritional knowledge was found to be low among adults in Kawempe division. Based on this finding, ministry of health and other development partners can conduct nutrition campaigns and education among the communities in order to equip them with knowledge and awareness on healthy nutrition and health risks associated.