Blood Pressure Patterns, Stress Assessment and Anthropometric Characteristics of Health Workers in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Globally, the burden of cardio-metabolic diseases especially obesity, hypertension, diabetes is rapidly increasing, and the African continent is most affected region in the world.
Objective: The study assessed the blood pressure patterns, stress assessment and anthropometric characteristics of health workers in Jos university teaching hospital, Jos, Nigeria
Methods: Apparently healthy 283 staff was randomly selected. Structured questionnaire, anthropometric instruments and digital sphygmomanometer were used to source information from the respondents. Obesity, blood pressurepatterns and stress assessment of the respondents were assessed in according to WHO standard and International Stress Management Association (ISMA) respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square. In all cases, a probability of (<0.05) were taken to indicates level of significance
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 36.72 ± 9.47years. More females (68%) participated in the study than males (32%). Only (21.6%) of the respondents drink alcohol, 2.5% smoke cigarette, 65% did not engage in physical exercise while 18.1% eat late at night. Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity as determined by abnormal values for BMI, WC, WHR, BIA and WHtR were 48.9%, 31.1%, 43.1%, 65% and 71.4% respectively while 30.1% had a raised blood pressure,more than half (69.9%) of the respondents were either moderately or highly stressed. Significant difference was found in age, nature of work and parents with chronic Diseasesacross the gender (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Overweight, obesity, moderate stress level and high blood pressure were prevalent among the health workers. Obesity was the risk factor of high blood pressure among them.

Keywords: Hypertension, obesity, stress, health workers, alcohol