Hypertension and its Associated Risk Factors Among Undergraduate Students in Herat City, Afghanistan

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##

Farida Mohammadi
Said Abdul Ghafour Saeedy
Nasar Ahmad Shayan
Ali Rahimi

Abstract

Hypertension is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, stroke, renal failure, and early mortality. Despite its growing relevance, limited research exists regarding its prevalence among young adults in Afghanistan. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among undergraduate students at Herat University. A total of 852 students from sixteen faculties were selected through a multistage stratified random sampling method. Data collection was carried out using a structured, self-administered questionnaire consisting of 25 items grouped into four domains: socio-demographic characteristics, physical and blood pressure assessments, dietary habits, and lifestyle behaviors including physical activity and smoking status. Blood pressure was measured using standard protocols, and statistical analysis was performed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The overall prevalence of hypertension was found to be 6.5%, with male students demonstrating significantly higher rates than females. A statistically significant association was observed between elevated systolic blood pressure (defined as 130 mmHg or above) and variables such as gender, smoking, and academic year. Male participants were significantly more likely to have raised blood pressure (P < 0.001, chi-square = 34.836), and smokers also showed a meaningful increase in systolic levels (P < 0.002, chi-square = 9.252). While the results are based on a single-visit measurement, they indicate a modest but concerning prevalence of hypertension in this population. Key risk factors such as male gender, tobacco use, and being in earlier academic years suggest the importance of early preventive interventions. These findings support the need for awareness programs, screening strategies, and targeted health promotion among university students in Afghanistan.

Keywords

Herat, Hypertension, Risk, factors, Undergraduate, Students

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##

Author Biographies

Farida Mohammadi, Herat University

Department of Para-clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Herat University, Herat, Afghanistan

Said Abdul Ghafour Saeedy, Herat University

Department of Para-clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Herat University, Herat, Afghanistan

Nasar Ahmad Shayan, Western University

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada

Ali Rahimi, Herat University

Department of pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Herat University, Herat, Afghanistan

How to Cite
Mohammadi, F., Saeedy, S. A. G., Shayan, N. A., & Rahimi, A. (2024). Hypertension and its Associated Risk Factors Among Undergraduate Students in Herat City, Afghanistan. Nangarhar University International Journal of Biosciences, 3(04), 70–79. https://doi.org/10.70436/nuijb.v3i04.365

References

  1. Al-Majed, H. T., & Sadek, A. A. (2012). Pre-hypertension and hypertension in college students in Kuwait: A neglected issue. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, 19(2), 105. PMid: 22870414. https:// doi.org/ 10.4103/2230-8229.98296.
  2. Aounallah-Skhiri, H., El Ati, J., Traissac, P., Ben Romdhane, H., Eymard-Duvernay, S., Delpeuch, F., Achour, N., & Maire, B. (2012). Blood pressure and associated factors in a North African adolescent population. A national cross-sectional study in Tunisia. BMC Public Health, 12(1), PMid: 22305045. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-98.
  3. Arafa, N. A. S., & Ez-Elarab, H. S. (2011). Epidemiology of Pre-hypertension and Hypertension among Egyptian Adults. The Egyptian Journal of Community Medicine, 29(1), 1–18.
  4. Arslantas, D., Ayranci, U., Unsal, A., & Tozum, T. (2008). Prevalence of hypertension among individuals aged 50 years and over and its impact on health related quality of life in a semi-rural area of western Turkey. Chinese Medical Journal, 121(16), 1524–1531. https://doi.org/10.1097/00029330-200808020-00005.
  5. Assah, F. K., Ekelund, U., Brage, S., Corder, K., Wright, A., Mbanya, J. C., & Wareham, N. J. (2009). Predicting Physical Activity Energy Expenditure Using Accelerometer in Adults from Sub-Sahara Africa. Obesity, 17(8), 1588-1595. https://doi.org/ 10.1038/ oby.20 09.39.
  6. Awoke, A., Awoke, T., Alemu, S., & Megabiaw, B. (2012). Prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among adults in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2261-12-113
  7. Baliga, R. R., Eagle, K. A., Jamerson, K., & Corbin, T. (2003). Practical Cardiology: Vols. 1st ed. Philadelphia (pp. 219–222). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  8. Bani, I. A. (2011). Prevalence and related risk factors of Essential Hypertension in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Sudanese Journal of Public Health, 6(2), 45–50.
  9. Bener, A. A., Al-Suwaidi, J., Khalifa Al-Jaber, K., Al-Marri, S., Dagash, M. H., & Elbagi, I.-E. A. (2004). The prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors in a newly developed country. PubMed, 25(7), 918–922.
  10. Erem, C., Hacihasanoglu, A., Kocak, M., Deger, O., & Topbas, M. (2008). Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension and associated risk factors among Turkish adults: Trabzon Hypertension Study. Journal of Public Health, 31(1), 47–58. https:// doi.org/ 10.1093/pubmed/fdn078.
  11. Gorgui, J., Gorshkov, M., Khan, N., & Daskalopoulou, S. S. (2014). Hypertension as a Risk Factor for Ischemic Stroke in Women. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 30(7), 774–782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2014.01.007.
  12. Grotto, I., Huerta, M., & Sharabi, Y. (2008). Hypertension and socioeconomic status. Current Opinion in Cardiology, 23(4), 334–339. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCO.0b013e3283021c70
  13. Hu, Y-H., Reilly, K., Liang, Y-J., Xi, B., Liu, J-T., Xu, D-J., Yan, Y-K., Xie, B., & Li, X-Y. (2011). Increase in Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference and Waist-to-Height Ratio is Associated with High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents in China. Journal of International Medical Research, 39(1), 23–32. https:// doi.org/ 10.1177/147 3230011039 00103.
  14. Hujova, Z. (2013). The prevalence of obesity and hypertension among first-year students at Trnava University in Slovakia. International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 5(8), 361–367. https:// doi.org/10. 5897/ ijmms2013.0925.
  15. International Headache Society. (2018). Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS) the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd Edition. Cephalalgia, 38(1), 1–211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0333102417738202
  16. Ibrahim, M. M., Rizk, H., Appel, L. J., Aroussy, W. E., Helmy, S., Sharaf, Y., Ashour, Z., Kandil, H., Roccella, E., & Whelton, P. K. (1995). Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control in Egypt. Hypertension, 26(6), 886–890. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.hyp.26.6.886.
  17. Isezuo, S. A., Sabir, A. A., Ohwovorilole, A. E., & Fasanmade, O. A. (2010). Prevalence, associated factors and relationship between prehypertension and hypertension: a study of two ethnic African populations in Northern Nigeria. Journal of Human Hypertension, 25(4), 224–230. https://doi.org/ 10. 1038 /j hh.2010.56.
  18. Jaddou, H. Y., Bateiha, A. M., Khawaldeh, A. M., Goussous, Y. M., & Ajlouni, K. M. (2001). Blood Pressure Profile in Schoolchildren and Adolescents in Jordan. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 21(1-2), 123–126. https://doi.org/10.5144/0256-4947.2001.123.
  19. Kabir, R., Ozkaya, A., & Ozkaya, S. (2016). Assessment of salt intake behaviour among undergraduate health care students studying in London. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 3(10),2734–2739.https://doi.org/ 10.18203/ 2394-6040.ijcmph20163354.
  20. Katona, É., Zrínyi, M., Komonyi, É., Lengyel, S., Paragh, G., Zatik, J., Fülesdi, B., & Páll, D. (2011). Factors Influencing Adolescent Blood Pressure: The Debrecen Hypertension Study. Kidney and Blood Pressure Research, 34(3), 188–195. https:// doi.org/10. 1159/ 000 326 115.
  21. Mohamed Moussa, M. M., El-mowafy, R. I., & El-Ezaby, H. H. (2016). Prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors among university students: Comparative study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(5). https://doi.org/10.5430/jnep.v6n5p19.
  22. Sundar, J. (2013). Prevalence and Determinants of Hypertension among Urban School Children in the Age Group of 13- 17 Years in, Chennai, Tamilnadu. Epidemiology: Open Access, 03(03).https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-1165.1000130.
  23. Saeed, K. M. I. (2015). Prevalence of hypertension and associated factors in Jalalabad City, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Central Asian Journal of Global Health, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5195/cajgh.2015.134.
  24. Saeed, K. M. I., Rasooly, M. H., & Brown, N. J. (2014). Prevalence and predictors of adult hypertension in Kabul, Afghanistan. BMC Public Health, 14(1). https:// doi.org/ 10. 1186/1471-2458-14-386.
  25. Savitha, M. R., Krishnamurthy, B., Fatthepur, S. S. R., Yashwanth Kumar, A. M., & Khan, M. A. (2007). Essential hypertension in early and mid-adolescence. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 74(11), 1007–1011. https:// doi. org/10.1007/s12098-007-0185-9.
  26. Sayon-Orea, C., Martinez-Gonzalez, M. A., Gea, A., Alonso, A., Pimenta, A. M., & Bes-Rastrollo, M. (2015). Baseline consumption and changes in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and the incidence of hypertension: The SUN project. Clinical Nutrition, 34(6), 1133–1140. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.clnu.2014.11.010.
  27. Shafi, S. T., & Shafi, T. (2017). A survey of hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in health screening camps of rural central Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 7(2), 135. https://doi .org/10. 1016/j.jegh .2017.01.001.
  28. Simão, M., Hayashida, M., Santos, C. B. dos, Cesarino, E. J., & Nogueira, M. S. (2008). Hypertension among undergraduate students from Lubango, Angola. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, Julho-Agosto, 16(4), 672–678. https://doi.org/ 10.1590 /s0104-11692008000400004.
  29. Tayem, Y. I., Yaseen, N. A., Khader, W. T., Abu Rajab, L. O., Ramahi, A. B., & Saleh, M. H. (2012). Prevalence and risk factors of obesity and hypertension among students at a central university in the West Bank. Libyan Journal of Medicine, 7(1), 19222. https:// doi.org/ 10. 3402/ljm.v7i0.19222.
  30. Tesfaye, F., Nawi, N. G., Van Minh, H., Byass, P., Berhane, Y., Bonita, R., & Wall, S. (2007). Association between body mass index and blood pressure across three populations in Africa and Asia. Journal of Human Hypertension, 21(1), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002104
  31. Thawornchaisit, P., De Looze, F., Reid, C. M., Seubsman, S., & Sleigh, A. (2013). Health-Risk Factors and the Prevalence of Hypertension: Cross-Sectional Findings from a National Cohort of 87 143 Thai Open University Students. Global Journal of Health Science, 5(4).https:// doi.org/ 10. 553 9/ gjhs.v5n4p126.
  32. Van der Sande, M., Milligan, P., Nyan, O., Rowley, J., Banya, W., Ceesay, S., Dolmans, W., Thien, T., McAdam, K., & Walraven, G. (2000). Blood pressure patterns and cardiovascular risk factors in rural and urban Gambian communities. Journal of Human Hypertension, 14(8), 489–496. https://doi. org/ 10.1038/sj.jhh.1001050.
  33. Wang, Y., & Wang, Q. J. (2004). The Prevalence of Prehypertension and Hypertension among US Adults According to the New Joint National Committee Guidelines. Archives of Internal Medicine, 164(19), 2126. https:// doi. org/10.1001/archinte.164.19.2126.
  34. World Health Organization. (2011). Global Status Report on Non communicable Diseases 2010. World Health Organization.
  35. World Health Organization. (2017). Guidelines for controlling and monitoring the tobacco epidemic. Who.int, 21(5). https://doi.org/9241545089
  36. World Health Organization. (2024, June 26). Physical activity. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
  37. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity