Research Article
Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity and Undiagnosed Hypertension among Military Personnel in Maiduguri, Nigeria
| Salamatu U Aliyu*, Adetoyeje Y Oyeyemi, Dominic G Udoh and Oyeyemi AL | |
| College of Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Rehabilitation, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria | |
| Corresponding Author : | Salamatu U Aliyu College of Medical Sciences Department of Medical Rehabilitation University of Maiduguri, Nigeria Tel: +2348077073558 E-mail: ptsalualiyu@yahoo.com |
| Received April 25, 2014; Accepted September 01, 2014; Published September 03, 2014 | |
| Citation: Aliyu SU, Oyeyemi AY, Udoh DG, Oyeyemi AL (2014) Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity and Undiagnosed Hypertension among Military Personnel in Maiduguri, Nigeria. J Nov Physiother 4:223. doi:10.4172/2165-7025.1000223 | |
| Copyright: © 2014 Aliyu SU, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Background: Hypertension and overweight/obesity are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, but prevalence data on these conditions are not readily available among occupational groups in Nigeria.
Purpose: To determine prevalence of overweight/obesity and undiagnosed hypertension and their association with Sociodemographic characteristics among military personnel in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 385 military personnel. Blood pressure (BP), height and weight were assessed using standardized procedures. Hypertension was defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg and BMI was classified according to WHO criteria.
Result: Prevalence of overweight/obesity and undiagnosed hypertension among military personnel in Maiduguri were 155 (40.3) and 32 (8.3%), Prevalence was significantly (p<0.001) higher among military personnel of 30-45 years old compared to their younger and much older counterparts and also among married military personnel compared to those not married (p<0.001). No difference was found for prevalence by gender, educational qualification and rank of military personnel (p>0.05). Being 30-45 years, ≥ 45 years or older and being married was positively associated with prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and overweight/obesity. Whereas senior rank was negatively associated with overweight/obesity (OR=0.73, CI=0.28-1.90) and hypertension (OR=0.89, CI=0.17-4.69).
Conclusion: Comparable prevalence of obesity and undiagnosed hypertension were found among military personnel in Maiduguri. Findings shows higher prevalence of obesity among this cohort of military personnel suggests intervention measures for this group.
