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Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control in Dakar (Senegal)

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 28, pages 489–493 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

The prediction of risk profile trends associated with non-communicable diseases in developing countries is among the greatest global health challenges. The aim of this study is to estimate prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Dakar (Senegal). This study was carried out between January and June 2009 on a population sample of 600 individuals living in the department of Dakar. This sample was constructed using the quota method in order to strive for representativeness. Sociodemographic characteristics, hypertension, hypertension awareness, treatment and control, and body mass index of individuals were collected during face-to-face interviews. Statistical analyses used were χ2-tests and binary logistic regressions. Prevalence of hypertension was 27.50%. Prevalence of awareness, treatment and control among hypertensives were 27.88%, 16.97% and 5.45%, respectively. Logistic regression showed that the prevalence, awareness and treatment of hypertension increased with increasing age. Overweight and obese subjects were more often hypertensive but did not differ from others in awareness and treatment. This could be linked to the social valorization of stoutness in West Africa, which explains that excess weight is not perceived as a risk factor for hypertension. In conclusion, given the very low rates of awareness, treatment and control in our sample, developing strategies for averting a hypertension epidemic must be a priority objective.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the people of Dakar, who took the time to answer their questions. We also thank the Senegalese interviewers who participated in this study: Mohamed Dia, Alioune Badara Badgi, Ousmane Dieye and Mohamed Rassoul.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 7268 ADèS, Aix-Marseille Université/EFS/CNRS, Faculté de Médecine Secteur Nord, Boulevard Pierre Dramard, Marseille, France

    P Duboz

  2. UMI 3189 Environnement, Santé, Sociétés, CNRS/Université Cheikh Anta Diop/Université de Bamako/CNRST, Laboratoire de Physiologie exploratoire et fonctionnelle, Faculté de Médecine de Dakar, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal

    G Boëtsch, L Gueye & E Macia

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Correspondence to P Duboz.

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Duboz, P., Boëtsch, G., Gueye, L. et al. Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control in Dakar (Senegal). J Hum Hypertens 28, 489–493 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2013.142

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