Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Risks Among Gospel Workers of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Northern Ghana Union Mission

Abstract

This study was conducted on 200 gospel workers who were mainly Seventhday Adventists from the South Central, Ashanti South, Ashanti Central and the Central Ghana Conferences of Ghana, as means of addressing hypertension and its associated risks. It had a broad objective of determining the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risks, among Gospel workers of the Northern Ghana Union Mission (NOGH) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and specific objectives of firstly determining the level of knowledge on hypertension among them; secondly to identify the nature of management of hypertension among gospel workers; and lastly, to determine the risk factors associated with hypertension among the gospel workers. The study adopted the mixed method approach by using a combination of cross-sectional, descriptive and non-experimental survey design. Data was collected by using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. These were questionnaires,interviews, documentary analysis and field survey. The questionnaires which contributed the larger part were analyzed by using SPSS, while interviews response were interpreted as the respondents meant them. The results of the study discovered that the majority of the gospel workers had adequate knowledge about the causes and symptoms of hypertensive disease. Regardless of this high knowledge, there was a high prevalence rate (38%) of hypertension. Though some gospel workers claimed they were aware of being hypertensive and had adopted various anti-hypertension management and prevention measures, there was still a poor health behavior and lifestyle among the gospel workers leading to the prevalence of hypertension. It was therefore concluded that, in the case of Gospel workers such as pastors, elders of churches and church financial officers where most activities are taken to be more spiritual in nature, less attention is typically paid to the prevention and management of lifestyle/medical conditions like hypertension. Based on the findings of the study and the conclusions, it is recommended that various measures, such as effective nutrition/health education on topics such as Myplate guidelines, as well as enlightenment on the causes and symptoms of hypertension, will be a step toward the reduction in the prevalence of hypertension. General improvement of the lifestyle and health behavior of gospel workers such as engaging in good dieting system, exercising regularly, and having enough rest. Part of a good prevention intervention would also include visiting the hospitals, clinics, and other health centers regularly to assess health status. Of course, it is also vital to report cases of hypertension to the health centers as another method to manage and prevent the prevalence of hypertension.