Prevalence and Risk Factors of Arternal Hypertension among Urban Africans Workplace: The Obsolete Role of Body Mass Index

ABSTRACT

Background: Studies on the prevalence of hypertension among Africans in workplace did not deal with risk factors of hypertension. Thus there is a need to screen urban central Africans at workplace for environmental risk factors of hypertension. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Kinshasa National Company of Electricity. A representative sample of 333 employees was screened. Tobacco; alcohol use and level of physical activity measures were obtained. Weight; height; BMI; waist; hip; conicity; blood pressure; pulse pressure and pulse rate were measured. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 21.3. Hypertension was associated with aging; higher professional position; eastern origin; migration; alcohol use; wider pulse pressure 60mmHg; wider waist 90cm; wider hip 97cm; obesity; and left ventricle hypertrophy. Independent predictors of hypertension were age; wider waist; wider hip; alcohol intake; and left ventricle hypertrophy. In another logistic regression model; only waist90 cm (OR=2.5 CI951.3-4.9; p