Relationship between Socio-Demographics, Body Mass Index, Perceived Stress Level and Blood Pressure Control among Patients with Hypertension Attending a Health Facility in Rural Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Suboptimal blood pressure control remains a major public health concern, with obesity and psychological stress acting as key modifiable contributors to poor hypertension outcomes, particularly in under-studied rural primary care populations. Objectives: The study determined the prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure and its association with socio-demographics, body mass index, perceived stress level and duration of diagnosis of high blood pressure among patients with hypertension attending tertiary health facility in rural Southwest Nigeria. Methods: The study was conducted at Family Medicine Clinic of Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti between November 2025 and February 2026. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a systematic random sampling technique on 292 consented patients diagnosed with hypertension. A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was employed to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, perceived stress level and duration of hypertension diagnosis. Blood pressure, height and weight of the participants were recorded following standardized procedure. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 26. Multivariate logistic regression analysis using adjusted odds ratio at 95% confidence interval, and significant p-value < 0.05 was used to identify factors contributing to uncontrolled blood pressure. Results: The prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure was 35.3% (95% CI: 29.8–40.8). Hypertensive patients with; age ≥ 60 years (AOR=8.50, 95% CI: 2.00-36.00, p=0.004), low income (AOR=1.90, 95% CI: 1.04-3.50, P=0.03), overweight (AOR=2.10, 95% CI: 1.00-2.44, P=0.048), obesity (AOR= 3.80, 95% CI: 1.80-8.00, p < 0.001), high perceived stress (AOR = 36.50, 95% CI: 11.50-116.00, p < 0.001), and hypertension diagnosis duration of ≥ 5 years (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.10 – 3.50, p = 0.021) had higher odds of uncontrolled blood pressure compared with their counterparts. Conclusion: The study showed that the prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure is high, and findings would assist stakeholders to recommend interventions targeted at improving blood pressure control in rural southwest Nigeria.