Prevalence and Predictors of Hypertension History among Ghanaian Men

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity around the world and has become a public health problem. Meanwhile, information on predictors of hypertension in Ghana seldom focuses on men. This study, therefore, sought to determine the prevalence and predictors of hypertension history among Ghanaian men.  We derived data for the study from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Data from 4,387 men aged 15-59 years were analysed. Stata (version 12) was used to process the data. Cross-tabulations were done to ascertain the prevalence while logistic regression was applied to determine the predictors of hypertension history among respondents. Mean age was 32.2 years and 90% had at least primary education. The overall prevalence of hypertension history among Ghanaian men was 5.7%. Age group, educational level, marital status, number of wives/partners, work status and smoking status were significantly associated with hypertension history. Rich men and men from Eastern and Upper East regions were independently associated with hypertension history. Higher risk of hypertension history was thus observed among respondents in older age groups, men with higher education and men who are widowed/divorced/separated, non-working men and men who did not smoke. Hypertension is a health concern among men in Ghana. It is, therefore, imperative that hypertension interventions for Ghanaian men should target the higher risk factors.