Table 5.
Knowledge and Practices related to Hypertension among Ghanaians living with HIV
| QUESTION | PLWH on cART N=250 | PLWH cART naïve N=201 | Total N=451 | P-values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. What does the term hypertension mean? | ||||
| Raised blood pressure | 135 (54.0) | 115 (57.1) | 250 (55.4) | 0.49 |
| 2. What should be the upper/systolic blood pressure reading be to a hypertensive? | ||||
| ≥140mmHg | 4 (1.6) | 4 (2.0) | 8 (1.8) | 0.93 |
| <140mmHg | 62 (24.8) | 48 (23.9) | 110 (24.4) | |
| I don’t know | 184 (73.6) | 149 (74.1) | 333 (73.8) | |
| 3. What should be the lower/diastolic blood pressure reading be to a hypertensive? | 0.69 | |||
| ≥90mmHg | 4 (1.6) | 2 (1.0) | 6 (1.3) | |
| <90mmHg | 54 (21.6) | 49 (24.4) | 103 (22.8) | |
| I don’t know | 192 (76.8) | 150 (74.6) | 342 (75.8) | |
| 4. How serious of a health concern has high blood pressure been to you? | 0.30 | |||
| Not at all serious | 7 (2.8) | 2 (1.0) | 9 (2.0) | |
| Somewhat serious concern | 11 (4.4) | 5 (2.5) | 16 (3.5) | |
| Very serious concern | 226 (90.4) | 191 (95.0) | 417 (92.5) | |
| No response | 6 (2.4) | 3 (1.5) | 9 (2.0) | |
| 5. How important do you think taking medicine is to keeping blood pressure under control? | 0.64 | |||
| Not at all important | 1 (0.4) | 2 (1.0) | 3 (0.7) | |
| Somewhat important | 14 (5.6) | 8 (4.0) | 22 (4.9) | |
| Very important | 229 (91.6) | 188 (93.5) | 417 (92.5) | |
| No response | 6 (2.4) | 3 (1.5) | 9 (2.0) | |
| 6. What are the most important factors in controlling your blood pressure? | ||||
| Taking medications | 146 (58.4) | 126 (62.7) | 272 (60.3) | 0.36 |
| exercising | 55 (22.0) | 36 (17.9) | 91 (20.2) | 0.28 |
| Less stress | 71 (28.4) | 47 (23.4) | 118 (26.2) | 0.23 |
| Quitting smoking if you are smoking | 14 (5.6) | 12 (6.0) | 26 (5.8) | 0.87 |
| Reducing salt intake in your diet | 77 (30.8) | 60 (29.9) | 136 (30.2) | 0.83 |
| Reducing alcohol intake | 16 (6.4) | 18 (9.0) | 34 (7.5) | 0.31 |
| Losing weight | 3 (1.2) | 1 (0.5) | 4 (0.9) | 0.43 |
| All of the above | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | n/a |
| I don’t know | 59 (23.6) | 42 (20.9) | 101 (22.4) | 0.49 |
| 7. High blood pressure can worsen or increase | ||||
| The risk of a heart attack | 12 (4.8) | 7 (3.5) | 19 (4.2) | 0.49 |
| The risk of stroke | 115 (46.0) | 64 (31.8) | 179 (39.7) | 0.002 |
| The risk of kidney problems | 1 (0.4) | 4 (2.0) | 5 (1.1) | 0.11 |
| All the above | 3 (1.2) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (0.7) | 0.12 |
| I don’t know | 116 (46.4) | 128 (63.7) | 244 (54.1) | 0.0003 |