Dataset Information

Epidemiology of hypertension in Northern Tanzania: a community-based mixed-methods study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly vulnerable to the growing global burden of hypertension, but epidemiological studies are limited and barriers to optimal management are poorly understood. Therefore, we undertook a community-based mixed-methods study in Tanzania to investigate the epidemiology of hypertension and barriers to care.

Methods

In Northern Tanzania, between December 2013 and June 2015, we conducted a mixed-methods study, including a cross-sectional household epidemiological survey and qualitative sessions of focus groups and in-depth interviews. For the survey, we assessed for hypertension, defined as a single blood pressure ?160/100?mm Hg, a two-time average of ?140/90?mm Hg or current use of antihypertensive medications. To investigate relationships with potential risk factors, we used adjusted generalised linear models. Uncontrolled hypertension was defined as a two-time average measurement of ?160/100?mm Hg irrespective of treatment status. Hypertension awareness was defined as a self-reported disease history in a participant with confirmed hypertension. To explore barriers to care, we identified emerging themes using an inductive approach within the framework method.

Results

We enrolled 481 adults (median age 45 years) from 346 households, including 123 men (25.6%) and 358 women (74.4%). Overall, the prevalence of hypertension was 28.0% (95% CI 19.4% to 38.7%), which was independently associated with age >60 years (prevalence risk ratio (PRR) 4.68; 95%?CI 2.25 to 9.74) and alcohol use (PRR 1.72; 95% CI 1.15 to 2.58). Traditional medicine use was inversely associated with hypertension (PRR 0.37; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.54). Nearly half (48.3%) of the participants were aware of their disease, but almost all (95.3%) had uncontrolled hypertension. In the qualitative sessions, we identified barriers to optimal care, including poor point-of-care communication, poor understanding of hypertension and structural barriers such as long wait times and undertrained providers.

Conclusions

In Northern Tanzania, the burden of hypertensive disease is substantial, and optimal hypertension control is rare. Transdisciplinary strategies sensitive to local practices should be explored to facilitate early diagnosis and sustained care delivery.

SUBMITTER: Galson SW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5695455 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Epidemiology of hypertension in Northern Tanzania: a community-based mixed-methods study.

Galson Sophie W SW Staton Catherine A CA Karia Francis F Kilonzo Kajiru K Lunyera Joseph J Patel Uptal D UD Hertz Julian T JT Stanifer John W JW

BMJ open 20171109 11

<h4>Introduction</h4>Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly vulnerable to the growing global burden of hypertension, but epidemiological studies are limited and barriers to optimal management are poorly understood. Therefore, we undertook a community-based mixed-methods study in Tanzania to investigate the epidemiology of hypertension and barriers to care.<h4>Methods</h4>In Northern Tanzania, between December 2013 and June 2015, we conducted a mixed-methods study, including a cross-sectional househo ...[more]

PMID: 29127232

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Project description:IntroductionTraditional medicines are an important part of healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa, and building successful disease treatment programs that are sensitive to traditional medicine practices will require an understanding of their current use and roles, including from a biomedical perspective. Therefore, we conducted a mixed-method study in Northern Tanzania in order to characterize the extent of and reasons for the use of traditional medicines among the general population so that we can better inform public health efforts in the region.MethodsBetween December 2013 and June 2014 in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, we conducted 5 focus group discussions and 27 in-depth interviews of key informants. The data from these sessions were analyzed using an inductive framework method with cultural insider-outsider coding. From these results, we developed a structured survey designed to test different aspects of traditional medicine use and administered it to a random sample of 655 adults from the community. The results were triangulated to explore converging and diverging themes.ResultsMost structured survey participants (68%) reported knowing someone who frequently used traditional medicines, and the majority (56%) reported using them themselves in the previous year. The most common uses were for symptomatic ailments (42%), chronic diseases (15%), reproductive problems (11%), and malaria/febrile illnesses (11%). We identified five major determinants for traditional medicine use in Northern Tanzania: biomedical healthcare delivery, credibility of traditional practices, strong cultural identities, individual health status, and disease understanding.ConclusionsIn order to better formulate effective local disease management programs that are sensitive to TM practices, we described the determinants of TM use. Additionally, we found TM use to be high in Northern Tanzania and that its use is not limited to lower-income areas or rural settings. After symptomatic ailments, chronic diseases were reported as the most common reason for TM use which may be particularly important in Northern Tanzania where non-communicable diseases are a rapidly growing burden.

Project description:BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa, kidney failure has a high morbidity and mortality. Despite this, population-based estimates of prevalence, potential etiologies, and awareness are not available.MethodsBetween January and June 2014, we conducted a household survey of randomly-selected adults in Northern Tanzania. To estimate prevalence we screened for CKD, which was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤ 60 ml/min/1.73m2 and/or persistent albuminuria. We also screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and lifestyle practices including alcohol, tobacco, and traditional medicine use. Awareness was defined as a self-reported disease history and subsequently testing positive. We used population-based age- and gender-weights in estimating prevalence, and we used generalized linear models to explore potential risk factors associated with CKD, including living in an urban environment.ResultsWe enrolled 481 adults from 346 households with a median age of 45 years. The community-based prevalence of CKD was 7.0% (95% CI 3.8-12.3), and awareness was low at 10.5% (4.7-22.0). The urban prevalence of CKD was 15.2% (9.6-23.3) while the rural prevalence was 2.0% (0.5-6.9). Half of the cases of CKD (49.1%) were not associated with any of the measured risk factors of hypertension, diabetes, or HIV. Living in an urban environment had the strongest crude (5.40; 95% CI 2.05-14.2) and adjusted prevalence risk ratio (4.80; 1.70-13.6) for CKD, and the majority (79%) of this increased risk was not explained by demographics, traditional medicine use, socioeconomic status, or co-morbid non-communicable diseases (NCDs).ConclusionsWe observed a high burden of CKD in Northern Tanzania that was associated with low awareness. Although demographic, lifestyle practices including traditional medicine use, socioeconomic factors, and NCDs accounted for some of the excess CKD risk observed with urban residence, much of the increased urban prevalence remained unexplained and will further study as demographic shifts reshape sub-Saharan Africa.

Project description:BackgroundMany individuals living with dementia want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. To do so, they frequently require assistance with activities of daily living, which is often provided by friends and relatives acting as informal care partners. In Canada, many informal care partners are currently overworked and overwhelmed. Although community-based dementia-inclusive resources are available to support them, care partners often struggle to find them. Dementia613.ca was created to make the process of finding community dementia-inclusive resources simpler and more straightforward by bringing them together in one eHealth website.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to determine if dementia613.ca is meeting the goal of connecting care partners and persons living with dementia to dementia-inclusive resources in their community.MethodsA review and assessment of the website was conducted using 3 evaluation methods: web analytics, questionnaires, and task analysis. Google Analytics was used to collect data related to website use over a 9-month period. Data on site content and user characteristics were collected. Furthermore, 2 web-based self-administered questionnaires were developed: one intended for care partners and persons living with dementia, and the other intended for businesses and organizations interested in serving persons living with dementia. Both gathered data on user characteristics and included standard questions used in website evaluations. Responses were collected over a 6-month period. Scenarios, tasks, and questions were developed for the moderated, remote, and task-analysis sessions. These tasks and questions determined how effectively persons living with dementia and their care partners can use dementia613.ca. Overall, 5 sessions were held with persons experiencing moderate cognitive decline and with care partners of persons living with dementia.ResultsThis evaluation showed that the idea behind dementia613.ca is strong and appeals to persons living with dementia, their care partners, and the businesses and organizations serving this market. Participants indicated that it is a useful community resource that meets a previously unfulfilled need in the area, and highlighted the benefits of bringing community resources together on 1 website. In our questionnaire, >60% (19/29, 66%) of people living with dementia and their care partners and 70% (7/10) of businesses and organizations agreed that the website made it easier to find relevant dementia-inclusive resources. There is room for improvement; participants indicated that the navigation and search features could be further developed.ConclusionsWe believe that the dementia613.ca model could be used to inspire and guide the creation of dementia resource websites in other regions in Ontario and beyond. The framework behind it is generalizable and could be replicated to help care partners and persons living with dementia find local resources more easily.

Project description:BackgroundA pressing need exists to understand and optimize the use of dietary assessment tools that can be used in community-based participatory research (CBPR) interventions. A digital food record, which uses a mobile device to capture the dietary intake through text and photography inputs, is a particularly promising mobile assessment method. However, little is understood about the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records in CBPR and how to best tailor dietary assessment tools to the needs of a community.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records among church-based populations in resource-limited wards of Washington, DC, USA, using a mixed-methods approach.MethodsThis community-based pilot study was conducted as part of the Washington, DC Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment. Participants (n=17) received a mobile device (iPod Touch) to photodocument their dietary intake for a 3-day digital food record using a mobile app, FitNinja (Vibrent Health). The acceptability of the digital food record was explored through the thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts from a moderated focus group (n=8). In addition, the feasibility was evaluated by the percentage of participants complying with instructions (ie, capturing both before and after meal photos for at least 2 meals/day for 3 days).ResultsQualitative themes identified were related to (1) the feasibility and acceptability of the mobile device and app, including issues in recording the dietary information and difficulty with photodocumentation; (2) suggestions for additional support and training experiences; and (3) comparisons with other mobile apps. Overall, the participants accepted the digital food record by demonstrating satisfaction with the tool and intent to continue the use (eg, participants recorded an average of 5.2, SD 7, consecutive days). Furthermore, of the 17 participants, 15 photodocumented at least 1 meal during the study period and 3 fully complied with the digital food record instructions.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated digital food records as an acceptable tool in CBPR and identified contributors and barriers to the feasibility of digital food records for future research. Engaging community members in the implementation of novel assessment methods allows for the tailoring of technology to the needs of the community and optimizing community-based interventions.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01927783; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01927783 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70WzaFWb6).

Project description:BackgroundNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of death among adults in sub-Saharan Africa, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing public health threat. Understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with NCDs is vital to informing optimal policy and public health responses in the region, but few community-based assessments have been performed for CKD. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults in northern Tanzania using a validated instrument.MethodsBetween January and June 2014, we administered a structured survey to a random sample of adults from urban and rural communities. The validated instrument consisted of 25 items designed to measure knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with kidney disease. Participants were also screened for CKD, diabetes, hypertension, and human immunodeficiency virus.ResultsWe enrolled 606 participants from 431 urban and rural households. Knowledge of the etiologies, symptoms, and treatments for kidney disease was low (mean score 3.28 out of 10; 95% CI 2.94, 3.63). There were no significant differences by CKD status. Living in an urban setting and level of education had the strongest independent associations with knowledge score. Attitudes were characterized by frequent concern about the health (27.3%; 20.2, 36.0%), economic (73.1%; 68.2, 77.5%), and social impact (25.4%; 18.6, 33.6%) of kidney disease. Practices included the use of traditional healers (15.2%; 9.1, 24.5%) and traditional medicines (33.8%; 25.0, 43.9%) for treatment of kidney disease as well as a willingness to engage with mobile-phone technology in CKD care (94.3%; 90.1, 96.8%).ConclusionsCommunity-based adults in northern Tanzania have limited knowledge of kidney disease. However, there is a modest knowledge base upon which to build public health programs to expand awareness and understanding of CKD, but these programs must also consider the variety of means by which adults in this population meet their healthcare needs. Finally, our assessment of local attitudes suggested that such public health efforts would be well-received.

Project description:BackgroundCommunity health workers (CHWs) are utilized in many health systems to provide education and messaging to families in their catchment areas. However, CHWs responsible for large geographic areas often must make important decisions about whom to visit. Factors that influence these decisions are understudied.ObjectivesThis study assessed coverage and targeting for home visits by CHWs within a large social and behavioral change health program in rural Tanzania.MethodsThis implementation research was a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study. Data collection included a census with households and surveys with females, surveys with CHWs, and interviews with CHWs. Survey data also included the collection of household location data for females and CHWs. Quantitative data were analyzed using linear probability models, and qualitative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsOnly 13% of eligible households in our study sites reported receiving a home visit from a CHW. Although CHWs were more likely to reach households with infants, other program priority populations, such as poor and food insecure households, were frequently missed. Global positioning system data showed that distance was 1 of the greatest barriers for CHWs in providing home visits. Qualitative data indicated that although CHWs were motivated and engaged to improve maternal and child health in their communities, they faced challenges in visiting households that were further away or lacked economic resources to improve their health behaviors. CHWs also found it difficult to provide health education during home visits to mothers with no formal schooling.ConclusionsPrograms relying on community volunteers need to set realistic workloads, especially when volunteer CHWs also work full-time in their primary occupations. Implementation could also be strengthened by providing extra support for CHWs so that they can effectively provide services to community members who are more difficult to visit but may be the most in need.

Project description:BackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic disease of the pulmonary vasculature that can lead to heart failure and premature death. Assessment of patients with PAH includes performing a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in clinics. We developed a smartphone app to compute the walked distance (6MWD) indoors, by counting U-turns, and outdoors, by using satellite positioning.ObjectiveThe goal of the research was to assess (1) accuracy of the indoor 6MWTs in clinical settings, (2) validity and test-retest reliability of outdoor 6MWTs in the community, (3) compliance, usability, and acceptance of the app, and (4) feasibility of pulse oximetry during 6MWTs.MethodsWe tested the app on 30 PAH patients over 6 months. Patients were asked to perform 3 conventional 6MWTs in clinic while using the app in the indoor mode and one or more app-based 6MWTs in outdoor mode in the community per month.ResultsBland-Altman analysis of 70 pairs of conventional versus app-based indoor 6MWDs suggests that the app is sometimes inaccurate (14.6 m mean difference, lower and upper limit of agreement: -133.35 m to 162.55 m). The comparison of 69 pairs of conventional 6MWDs and community-based outdoor 6MWDs within 7 days shows that community tests are strongly related to those performed in clinic (correlation 0.89), but the interpretation of the distance should consider that differences above the clinically significant threshold are not uncommon. Analysis of 89 pairs of outdoor tests performed by the same patient within 7 days shows that community-based tests are repeatable (intraclass correlation 0.91, standard error of measurement 36.97 m, mean coefficient of variation 12.45%). Questionnaires and semistructured interviews indicate that the app is usable and well accepted, but motivation to use it could be affected if the data are not used for clinical decision, which may explain low compliance in 52% of our cohort. Analysis of pulse oximetry data indicates that conventional pulse oximeters are unreliable if used during a walk.ConclusionsApp-based outdoor 6MWTs in community settings are valid, repeatable, and well accepted by patients. More studies would be needed to assess the benefits of using the app in clinical practice.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04633538; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04633538.

Project description:BackgroundAccess to quality hypertension care is often poor in sub-Saharan Africa. Some community pharmacies offer hypertension monitoring services, with and without involvement of medical doctors. To directly connect pharmacy staff and cardiologists a care model including a mobile application (mHealth) for remote patient monitoring was implemented and pilot tested in Lagos, Nigeria. Pharmacists provided blood pressure measurements and counselling. Cardiologists enrolled patients in the pilot program and remotely monitored them, for which patients paid a monthly fee. We evaluated the feasibility of this care model at five private community pharmacies. Outcome measures were retention in care, blood pressure change, quality of care, and patients' and healthcare providers' satisfaction with the care model.MethodsPatients participated in the care model's pilot at one of the five pharmacies for approximately 6-8 months from February 2016. We conducted structured patient interviews and blood pressure measurements at pilot entry and exit, and used exports of the mHealth-application, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with patients, pharmacists and cardiologists.ResultsOf 336 enrolled patients, 236 (72%) were interviewed at pilot entry and exit. According to the mHealth data 71% returned to the pharmacy after enrollment, with 3.3 months (IQR: 2.2-5.4) median duration of activity in the mHealth-application. Patients self-reported more visits than recorded in the mHealth data. Pharmacists mentioned use of paper records, understaffing, the application not being user-friendly, and patients' unwillingness to pay as reasons for underreporting. Mean systolic blood pressure decreased 9.9 mmHg (SD: 18). Blood pressure on target increased from 24 to 56% and an additional 10% had an improved blood pressure at endline, however this was not associated with duration of mHealth activity. Patients were satisfied because of accessibility, attention, adherence and information provision.ConclusionPatients, pharmacists and cardiologists adopted the care model, albeit with gaps in mHealth data. Most patients were satisfied, and their mean blood pressure significantly reduced. Usage of the mHealth application, pharmacy incentives, and a modified financing model are opportunities for improvement. In addition, costs of implementation and availability of involved healthcare providers need to be investigated before such a care model can be further implemented.

Dataset Information

Epidemiology of hypertension in Northern Tanzania: a community-based mixed-methods study.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Epidemiology of hypertension in Northern Tanzania: a community-based mixed-methods study.

Similar Datasets

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