Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Factors Among Bank Workers in Harar Town, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of the global burden of disease. It is being the root cause of many of the body system and organs failure remains to be a major public health challenge globally. Epidemiological studies have shown that sedentary lifestyles and stress are important risk factors for hypertension. The job of bank Workers is both sedentary and involves a high level of stress and thus making banking a potential occupational risk group for hypertension. Though the problem is huge in both developed and developing countries. <i>Objective</i>: To assess the prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among bank Workers in Harar town, Eastern Ethiopia, 2017. <i>Methods</i>: An Institutional based cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. The target population was conducted on Bank Workers of Harar town by taking a total sample size of 149 and physical measurement-based. Self-Administered questioners were disseminated and recollected from the selected respondents and the physical measurement part was filled by the data collector. Prevalence was computed with a 95% confidence interval. Data has been analyzed in a database using SPSS version 21.0 software. Descriptive statistics were used to determine prevalence. Then the data was transferred to multivariate analysis to control confounding factors and to identify determinant factors of the outcome variable. P-value less than or equal to 0.05 was considered as a level of statistical significance. <i>Result</i>: A total of 149 participants were approached with a response rate of 143 (96.4%). The prevalence of Hypertension in the study was 27.5%. Aging, Sedentary lifestyle, and BMI (Obesity) in this study were positively associated with higher odds of having hypertension. <i>Conclusion and recommendation</i>: Hypertension are one of the most important health-related problems among men worldwide. Therefore, a well-planned health education program should be implemented to address the observed knowledge gaps.