Table 1.
Characteristics of participants in the study at baseline
| Characteristic | % all patients* |
% 6 month appointment† |
% 12 month appointment‡ |
| Number | 1339 | 552 | 338 |
| Referred by | |||
| LCS | 23.9 | 23.4 | 24.3 |
| CHO | 45.0 | 40.8 | 38.5 |
| CVD nurse | 23.3 | 25.4 | 26.9 |
| Other | 7.8 | 10.5 | 10.4 |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 30.8 | 32.3 | 30.7 |
| Female | 69.2 | 67.8 | 69.3 |
| Age class | |||
| 30–44 | 17.9 | 14.7 | 13.6 |
| 45–54 | 23.5 | 21.7 | 24.3 |
| 55–64 | 27.3 | 31.9 | 32.0 |
| 65+ | 31.4 | 31.7 | 30.2 |
| Hypertension stage | |||
| Normal | 26.4 | 38.6 | 41.7 |
| Stage I | 39 | 39.9 | 39.4 |
| Stage II | 19.6 | 14.5 | 13.0 |
| Stage III | 14.9 | 7.1 | 5.9 |
| Mean BP | |||
| DBP | 90.8 | 87.6 | 86.9 |
| SBP | 149.0 | 143.3 | 141.2 |
| Education | |||
| No formal education | 37.0 | 32.3 | 31.4 |
| Primary | 41.7 | 431 | 45.6 |
| Secondary | 16.1 | 18.5 | 14.8 |
| Higher | 5.2 | 6.2 | 8.3 |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Akan | 4.2 | 28.6 | 21.4 |
| Dangme | 69.5 | 42.2 | 26 |
| Ewe | 22 | 39.3 | 22.4 |
| Other or do not know | 4.3 | ||
| Religion | |||
| Christian | 96 | 97.6 | 97.9 |
| Muslim | 3.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Traditional | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| None | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Marital status | |||
| Never married | 5.7 | 5.1 | 3.6 |
| Married/cohabiting | 54.4 | 54.7 | 57.7 |
| Separated/divorced | 5.5 | 14.1 | 15.4 |
| Widowed | 26.1 | 25.9 | 23.1 |
| No response | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| Household income | |||
| Less than 728 GHC | 18.7 | 17.0 | 17.2 |
| 728–1020 GHC | 17.4 | 20.8 | 19.8 |
| 1021–1098 GHC | 6.4 | 5.3 | 6.5 |
| 1099–1263 GHC | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| More than 1263 GHC | 12.3 | 11.1 | 11.8 |
| Do not know/no response | 40.2 | 40.9 | 39.9 |
| Aware of hypertension status | |||
| Never had BP measured | 18.7 | 17.6 | 16.3 |
| Was not aware | 12.9 | 11.4 | 10.7 |
| Aware | 68.5 | 70.8 | 73.1 |
| Taking treatment | |||
| Never diagnosed | 31.5 | 29.2 | 26.9 |
| Diagnosed and no treatment | 18 | 15.0 | 16.0 |
| Treatment | 50.3 | 55.6 | 56.8 |
| Do not know | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| BMI | |||
| Underweight (BMI<18.5) | 5.4 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
| Normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.9) | 43.7 | 44.8 | 43.2 |
| Overweight (BMI 25–29.9) | 29.2 | 30.1 | 32.5 |
| Obese (BMI 30+) | 21.7 | 20.3 | 19.2 |
*All patients with hypertension enrolled in the cohort.
†Patients with hypertension with 6-month appointment/follow-up.
‡Patients with hypertension with a 12-month appointment/follow-up.
BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CHO, community health officers; CVD, cardiovascular disease; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; LCS, licensed chemical sellers; SBP, systolic blood pressure.