Knowledge of Hypertension among the Civil Servants in Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract:
Hypertension, a pervasive cardiovascular
condition, remains a significant public health concern globally. There is
strong evidence to suggest that hypertension and its associated complications
are major health challenges of the 21st century. This is a disease that imposes
on multi-systems. Failure to control hypertension leads to end up with
unavoidable complications, including deaths. Understanding the knowledge base
is crucial for developing targeted interventions to enhance awareness and
promote preventive measures within this specific demographic group. This
research paper aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge about hypertension
among civil servants in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study utilized a mixed-methods
approach, combining the use of clinic registers and interviews, to
comprehensively assess hypertension awareness, risk factors, and preventive
measures among civil servants. A total of 1124 participants visited the clinic
from various Ministries /Departments/Agencies /Parastatals and sectional units
within the Secretariat. This approach proved to be highly efficient in terms of
time and resources, allowing for the rapid surveying of a large number of
participants. However, level of education and knowledge of risk factors significantly
influenced awareness of complications at 0.05 using SPSS. The findings of this
research have contributed valuable insights for policymakers, and public healthcare
professionals and facilitated the development of tailored strategies to
mitigate the impact of hypertension within the State workforce. The majority of
the respondents knew about hypertension but refused to control the
hypertension. On-the-job screening and educative programmes are fundamental
ways to improve knowledge about hypertension in the workplace.
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Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, ISSN 2326-7291, Vol. 9 (3), pp.
001-006, March, 2020. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org
© International Scholars Journals