Effect of physical activity on controlling blood pressure among hypertensive patients from Mishref area of Kuwait

Abstract

Background: A variety of lifestyle modifications including weight loss in the overweight and physical activity have been shown in clinical trials to lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Objective: To demonstrate the effect of physical activity on controlling blood pressure among hypertensive patients from Mishref area of Kuwait. Methods: A sample of 240 Kuwaiti patients diagnosed with hypertension for more than one year were randomly selected from those hypertensive patients visited the primary care center for their regular follow up. Patients were labeled as uncontrolled hypertensive if their systolic blood pressure (SBP) was =140 mmHg and /or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was =90 mmHg. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension (n = 106) were compared with 134 patients with controlled hypertension. A structured questionnaire with questions on socio-demographic characteristics, dieting and physical activity was administered. Results: The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension among our sample was 44.4%. More than half of patients who reported not practicing physical activity had uncontrolled hypertension compared to a quarter of those who were practicing it. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, body mass index (BMI), diet, and physical activity were the independent significant risk factors on controlling hypertension among our study population. Conclusion: Our findings should alert health care providers to find innovative means of physical activity recommendation to improve blood pressure control among hypertensive patients. On a large scale, the ministry of health in Kuwait can reinforce the concept of physical activity in order to regulate blood pressure through a national campaign

Key words: Hypertension, risk factors, physical activity, Kuwait