Physical Activity and Body Mass Index Among Hypertensive Patients Attending Outpatient Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital in Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the predisposing factors for increased morbidity and mortality rate in Malaysia as it significantly contributes to the risk of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney injuries. Non-pharmacological intervention such as physical activity (PA) helps to reduce the progression of hypertension severity and body mass index (BMI) among hypertensive patients. Limited studies were conducted among hypertensive patients at outpatient clinics in the east-coast region of Malaysia. Objective: To determine the level of PA and BMI of hypertensive patients attending outpatient clinics.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using purposive sampling. The study was conducted among 73 hypertensive patients who attended the outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in Kelantan state, the Northern East of Malaysia. Data was collected using a self -reported questionnaires for BMI and hypertension and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure the level of PA. Results: The findings show that most of the respondents above 50 years old are moderately active (54.8%, n=40) and nearly half (45.2%, n=33) were overweight. There is no significant association between the level of PA and BMI (p=0.854). A significant association was only found between the respondents’ marital status and their BMI (p=0.034). Conclusion: The majority of the respondents in the study were moderately active in performing physical activity and within the category of overweight. PA and BMI are not significantly associated in the study. The non-significance findings could be due to the small sample size in this study and other contributing factors such as co-morbidities, lifestyle variables including dietary habits, and sedentary behaviour that were not investigated in the study. Overall, the study underlined the importance of physical activity and body mass index in achieving public health recommendations. Conclusion: Overall, the study underlined the importance of physical activity and body mass index in achieving public health recommendations.