Prevalence, Risk factors for Hypertension among Traders in Lagos.

Hypertension is a major public health problem with a devastating toll on the quality of life and the economic status of families. The prevalence of hypertension among traders in Enugu was 42% as of 2010. This study focused on the prevalence of hypertension among traders in Lagos because there are scarce data on hypertension and its risk factors among traders in Lagos. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among a total of 391 traders selected from Tejuosho market, Iponri market and Orile Iganmu market. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and blood pressure was read using a digital sphygmomanometer as well as anthropometric measurements. Data obtained was analyzed using Epi-info 7.2 software. Analysis was done at a 95% confidence interval with P value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test. Findings: It was found that 30.9% of the traders had high blood pressure. The leading risk factors for high blood pressure among the traders were increasing age and obesity (44.7% of those with high blood pressure were obese) and physical inactivity. Conclusions: This study showed that more than a quarter of traders in selected Lagos markets had high blood pressure, with majority being shop owners and practising sedentary lifestyles. Recommendations: Health promotion to be inculcated in the activities of traders such as health talk, empowering market leaders and traders with access to health information, health care advertising, bonuses and enforcement of a health insurance scheme for traders in every market.