Knowledge, attitude and adherence to exercise among adults with hypertension in North-Western Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Research evidence has shown the effectiveness of exercise in blood pressure control. However, little is known about factors limiting exercise engagement in adults with hypertension. The purpose of this study is to assess knowledge, attitude and adherence to exercise for blood pressure control among adults with hypertension. An online cross-sectional survey study was conducted; a total of 150 adults with hypertension whose ages were 18 and older satisfied the inclusion criteria and participated in the study. A modified structured questionnaire which sought information on socio-demographics, knowledge, attitude and adherence to exercise was used to obtain data from the respondents using a convenient sampling technique. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of frequency and percentage at a 0.05 level of significance. The majority 90, (60.0%) of the respondents demonstrated poor exercise compliance, of which, 101(67.3%) had poor knowledge of exercise for hypertension control while 39, (26.0%) had a positive attitude towards exercise. There was a significant association between knowledge of exercise and level of education (χ²=28.337; p=0.001), attitude (χ²=38.297; p=0.001) and adherence to exercise (χ²=12.757; p=0.001) respectively. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and socio-economic status of the respondents (χ²=19.192; p=0.001), and between knowledge and attitude among the respondents (χ²=25.634; p=0.001). The study showed that compliance to exercise for blood pressure control is low among adults with hypertension in North-western Nigeria, which was significantly influenced by poor knowledge of and negative attitude towards exercise. Public health enlightenment campaigns and patient education should form part of the hypertension management protocol.