LAUSR

Introduction: The prevalence of hypertension gradually has become a serious public health threat globally as it is a very pertinent risk factor for non communicable diseases. The prevalence of non communicable diseases is not well known in tribal areas of Bangladesh. Lifestyle and food habits are quite different from majority of population living in plain lands (recognized as Bengali). Though data are available regarding the latter, data on the tribal population is scanty. Purpose: This study was aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in a tribal area in Bangladesh. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study of 637 men and women aged 18 years or more located in Rowangchhari THC of Bandarban, a hilly district of Bangladesh. We collected data on demographics, behavioral factors, physical measurements and health history. Data collection was done using a pretested questionnaire and clinical examination. Prevalence and 95% confidence interval were estimated for hypertension. SPSS version 25.0 was used. A value of P less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among all 637 participants, 52% patients were male and mean age was 35.4 plus/minus 13.4 years. Almost 78% participants were from different tribal community (e.g. Marma, Tonchonga, Bom, Tripura, Chakma etc.). Hypertension prevalence was 28.9% (95% CI 25.4 to 32.6) and was significantly higher among male than female (33.1% vs 24.3%; p value is 0.014). The highest prevalence of hypertension was observed among aged 60 years or more at 41.3%. Hypertension was higher among Bengali (33.6%) than tribal population (28.1%), but not statistically significant. Determinants of hypertension included male gender, older age, higher income, nature of job, increasing body mass index and waist circumference. More than 85% of the participants has knowledge of harmful effect of Hypertension (86.9%) and smoking (91.2%). Conclusion: Our study suggests that the prevalence of hypertension is significant among the population living in tribal area. Specific interventions should be developed to inform adults of the necessary lifestyle changes and the importance of early screening, awareness campaigns for early health seeking and improvement in health access.