Background: The highest prevalence of hypertension is among older adults. Although older adults with hypertension have already controlled their blood pressure by taking antihypertensive drugs, hypertension will still occur when not balanced with a healthy lifestyle. Data from Pekanbaru Municipality Health Department in 2016 showed that hypertension was the most common disease in Pekanbaru City.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence uncontrolled blood pressure among elderly patients with hypertension at Harapan Raya Pekanbaru Health Center in 2017.
Material and methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design. The sample size comprised 116 elderly patients with hypertension who visited Harapan Raya Community Health Center. The sample criteria were patients aged ≥ 60 years and taking hypertension medication, and subjects were selected using consecutive sampling. The variables collected were demographic characteristics of elderly patients (age, education, sex, and occupation), physical activity, smoking habit, coffee and tea consumption and sodium intake. Statistical analysis involved the chi-square test and multiple logistic regressions.
Results: The proportion of elderly hypertensive patients with uncontrolled blood pressure was 52.6%. The most influential variables concerning uncontrolled blood pressure were smoking habit (P-value: 0.004, OR: 5.2 95% CI: 1.71-15.8), no routine for taking antihypertensive drugs (P-value = 0.029 OR = 2.96 95% CI: 1.11-7.86) and sodium intake (P-value: 0.044 OR: 0.264 95% CI: 0.072-0.967).
Conclusion: The dominant factor influencing uncontrolled blood pressure among the elderly was smoking. Health workers at the Community Health Center are expected to provide education and counselling for elderly patients with hypertension to control their blood pressure by taking antihypertensive drugs regularly and quitting smoking.
Keywords: Elderly; Hypertension; Uncontrolled blood pressure.