FACTORS INFLUENCING LOW BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG ADULTS IN UMUKABIA, EHIME MBANO L.G.A. IMO STATE

Public Health

This study determined the factors influencing low blood pressure among adults in Umukabia, Ehime Mbano L.G.A. Imo State. The study was guided by five specific objectives. Five research questions were raised and answered by the study. Five hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significant. The study adopted Descriptive survey research design. The estimated target population of adults in Umukabia community is three thousand eight hundred and seventy-two (3872). The sample size for this study is 351. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study sample among adults in Umukabia. The instruments used in carrying out the survey include researcher-administered structured questionnaire, sphygmomanometer for measurement of blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and stethoscope. A reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained for the instrument. Two methods were employed to collect the required data. They include: administration of questionnaire and blood pressure measurement. Descriptive method was used to describe the data characteristics. Tables of distribution were constructed for variables in the data and they were all expressed in percentages. Similarly, some of the distributions were represented on statistical charts such as bar chart. Chi square test was performed at 5% level to test for significant association between food consumption pattern, medications, demographic characteristics, family medical history and hypotension among adults in Umukabia. Probability value (p value) was used to interpret the results and p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. The study found that overwhelming majority of the respondents has normal blood pressure reading while very few have high blood pressure reading. On the food consumption pattern among the studied population, the study found that a clear majority of the adults studied indicated that their most preferred food is garri/fufu while few picked other classes of food which was not indicated in the study. Based on the findings of this study, the study thus concludes that socio-demographic variables of the respondents, blood pressure reading, food consumption pattern, commonly used drugs and family medical records of the respondents have a relationship with the low blood pressure among adults in Umukabia community. The study recommended among others that regular checkups of patients by qualified health workers in order to prevent low blood pressure and other related cardiovascular diseases and that Government officials to partner with health programmers in areas related to health and low blood pressure.

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