Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and assess the awareness, adherence and of and control of hypertension among the healthcare employees in a rural district, Malaysia. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional drop-off survey was conducted using a validated questionnaire. The studied populations were all government healthcare employees in Kerian District, Malaysia. Respondents were assessed on awareness, knowledge, adherence and treatment received. Assessment of their blood pressure was also undertaken two times using a validated digital blood pressure monitor by a trained staff. Results: A total of 444 participants were approached for this study. Of this, 374 consented to participate (response rate of 84.2%). Mean age of respondents were 36.4 years. Prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension among employees were found to be 16% and 29.1%. Among 61 hypertensive respondents, only 72% were aware of their status and from 109 prehypertensive, only 28.3% were aware of their high-normal blood pressure status. A considerable knowledge gap related to hypertension was found among the population, in which 35% of them were found to have poor knowledge. Only half (54%) of the hypertensive employees were on antihypertensive agent, with blood pressure control rate of 70%.The remaining was either exercising non-pharmacological approach or not treated due to unawareness of the disease. Majority (75.8%) of employees who received treatment had ‘poor’ to ‘medium’ adherence. Conclusion: The high prevalence of prehypertension and inadequate blood pressure control showed that even healthcare workers in the country are having problems in managing their diseases.
Published Version
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