Aims: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and lifestyle practices of hypertensive patients to
help educate them to properly manage the condition and help reduce incidence among the
populace.
Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive survey.
Place and Duration of Study: The Central Regional Hospital (Pedu), the Cape Coast Metropolitan
Hospital (OLA) and the University of Cape Coast Hospital (UCC), between August 2014 and
December 2014.
Methodology: We included 400 patients (158 males, 242 females; age range 20-89 years) with
hypertension. Patients BMI’s were determined as well as information on their knowledge of
hypertension, attitudes towards exercise and dietary practices. Barriers to maintaining healthy
lifestyles were also identified. Results: Out of the 400 patients, 282 (71%) were overweight and obese. The following barriers
countered participants’ efforts to maintain healthy life styles; “lack of education”, “fear”, “financial
constraint,” and “lack of commitment.” Logistic regression showed that participants’ occupation
significantly influenced their knowledge levels positively with P=.012 at α-level of 0.05.
Conclusion: More than 95% (n=383) of the study participants showed a poor level of knowledge in
the causes, signs and symptoms, risk factors, prevention and treatment of hypertension.
Participants’ who had occupations and worked were more knowledgeable about the condition than
those who had no occupation and no regular jobs. Hypertension’s association with low levels of
awareness, drug treatment, and blood pressure control identified in past studies still exist within
current hypertension populations. Population-based prevention strategies, such as reduction in salt
intake and integration of hypertension care into primary care need to be reviewed.