Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adequate blood pressure control improves clinical outcomes in patients with hypertension. Poor blood pressure control is linked with cardiovascular diseases and poor quality of life. AIM: To identify the predictors of blood pressure control among patients with hypertension treated at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria. METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study that recruited 441 hypertensive adults who were on medications for at least 6 months through systematic random sampling. Data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate methods at 95% CI and α=0.05. Blood pressure was measured twice using a mercury sphygmomanometer, with averages recorded. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 55.46 years±12.91. About 48.1% of respondents achieved adequate blood pressure control. Major reported risk factors of inadequate blood pressure control were sedentary lifestyle (67.8%), use of caffeinated drinks (51.9%) and family history of hypertension (47.5%). The major comorbidities of hypertension were gastrointestinal symptoms (46.72%) and diabetes (31.39%). The predictors of adequate blood pressure control were higher income (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.94, p=0.026), full health insurance (AOR=2.32, p=0.030), non-usage of caffeinated drinks (AOR=4.13, p=0.001) and normal body mass index (AOR=1.63, p=0.026). Predictors of inadequate blood pressure control were older age (AOR=0.30, p<0.001), living with a spouse (AOR=0.14, p=0.014), non-compliance with antihypertensive medications (AOR=0.53, p=0.040) and moderate obesity (AOR=0.29, p=0.032). CONCLUSION: Addressing prevalent risk factors like sedentary lifestyle and dietary habits, as well as structural initiatives like accessibility to health insurance, presents opportunities for targeted interventions to enhance well-being and improve outcomes that will strengthen public health, clinical practice and research.