Prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Endalamaw Tesfa; Dessalegn Demeke

doi:10.1002/hsr2.372

Prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Health Sci Rep. 2021 Sep 22;4(3):e372. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.372. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Authors

Endalamaw Tesfa^{1

2}, Dessalegn Demeke³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia.
² Biotechnology Research Institute Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia.
³ Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia.

Abstract

Background: A number of epidemiological studies were performed to know the prevalence of and the risk factors for hypertension. However, these studies reported inconsistent results. As a result, this systematic review and meta-analysis were planned to generate representative data on the prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension among the Ethiopian adult population.

Methods: Five electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Hinari, and African Journals Online, were searched for studies published in English from 1 January 2010 to 31 August 2020. Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument and Newcastle-Ottawa scale were used for data extraction and quality assessment for this review. Stata version 14 statistical software was used for the analysis, and due to high heterogeneity a random effects model was used for meta-analysis at 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: In this review, 35 observational studies were included. The pooled prevalence of hypertension in Ethiopia was 20.63% (95% CI [18.70, 22.55]) with the I ² value of 96.1%. Older age (≥40 years) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 3.46 [95% CI: 2.67, 4.49]), urban residence (AOR: 1.47 [95% CI: 1.28, 1.70]), educational status less than grade 12 (AOR: 1.67 [95% CI: 1.38, 2.01]), family history of hypertension (AOR: 4.33 [95% CI: 2.95, 6.34]), diabetes mellitus (DM) (AOR: 5.18 [95% CI: 3.01, 8.88]), body mass index (BMI) ≥25 (AOR: 3.79 [95% CI: 2.61, 5.50]), central obesity (AOR: 1.91 [95% CI: 1.09, 3.36]), and alcohol consumption (AOR: 1.72 [95% CI: 1.26, 2.34]) were the identified risk factors for hypertension.

Conclusion: The pooled prevalence of hypertension is relatively higher as compared to the previous reports in Ethiopia. Older age, urban residence, lower educational coverage, family history of hypertension, DM, BMI ≥25, alcohol consumption, and central obesity were the risk factors for hypertension. The governments and stakeholders should design an appropriate strategy to prevent and control the disease in the Ethiopian population.

Keywords: Ethiopia; hypertension; meta‐analysis; prevalence; risk factors.

Publication types

Review