Factors influencing adherence to recommended lifestyle modification amongst hypertension clients at Malamulo Hospital, Thyolo

Adherence to recommended lifestyle modification regarding hypertension control remains a serious problem despite widely publicized hypertension treatment guidelines and lifestyle modification recommendations. As such, blood pressure control is still poor in Malawi. This study examined factors that i...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kamanga Chitani, Ndaona
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2021
Online Access:http://nkhokwe.kuhes.ac.mw:8080/handle/20.500.12845/225
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Summary:Adherence to recommended lifestyle modification regarding hypertension control remains a serious problem despite widely publicized hypertension treatment guidelines and lifestyle modification recommendations. As such, blood pressure control is still poor in Malawi. This study examined factors that influence hypertensive clients’ adherence to recommended lifestyle modification at Malamulo hospital, Thyolo. It was a descriptive quantitative study. Data was collected through face-to face interviews with 108 clients, using a structured questionnaire. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit respondents into the study. Statistical packages for the social sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used for descriptive analysis; and logistic regression for multivariate data analysis. Results showed knowledge rate of 92%, and adherence rate of 53.8%. Multivariate analysis of significant variables, in a logistic regression model, indicated that having family support was found to be nearly 5 times more likely to facilitate adherence to recommended lifestyle modification than in cases where families were not involved in the care of their clients (OR = 4.587, 95% CI: 1.625, 12.947). Having support groups was also found to be 4 times likely to facilitate adherence compared to situations where there were no support groups (OR = 4.043, 95% CI: 1.496, 10.926). The study also revealed that poor provider-client relationships were also found to be nearly 5 times more likely to hinder adherence as compared to cases where provider-client relationship was good (OR = 4.653, CI: 1.633, 13.256). Furthermore, being away from home was found to be nearly 3 times more likely to hinder adherence as compared to cases where clients are at home (OR = 2.783, CI = 1.042, 7.734). Patients demonstrated adequate knowledge on recommended lifestyle modification. However, their practices were found to be poor. There is need for encouraging family support, improving provider-client relationships and emphasizing on the importance of modifying lifestyles at Malamulo Hospital in order to facilitate adherence behaviors amongst clients.