FREQUENCY OF UNDIAGNOSED HYPERTENSION IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS OF KHYBER TEACHING HOSPITAL PESHAWAR

Objectives: To measure the frequency and determinents of undiagnosed hypertension in Healthcare Workers of Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar and to determine the association of their Hypertension with demographics.Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional analytical study done at Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar from January 2023 to May 2023. A sample of 312 healthcare workers was selected by using non-probability convenient sampling technique. A questionnaire having both open-ended & closed-ended questions was used. After acquiring their informed consent, face to face interview along with measuring blood pressure was done. For analysis of the data, statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used. Data was represented using figures and tables. Chi square test was used for analysis.Results: The study included 312 participants with a mean age of 33.8 ± 9.4 years.Out of 312 participants, 62.8% were doctors, 26.9 % were paramedics, and 10.3 % were supporting staff . Among the participants, 40 (12.8%) of the participants were hypertensive, and 272 (87.2%) were non-hypertensive.3.5 % of the participants believed hypertension to be due to stress & anxiety; 3.2 % believed it to be obesity; 2.6 % believed it to be lack of exercise; 1 % believed it to be high salt intake, 0.3 % believed it to be smoking, and 0.3 % believed high cholesterol levels while 89 % believed all of these can be the causes of hypertension. It was found that age, family history of hypertension and Co morbidities were statistically significant, while the other factors turned out to be non significant.Conclusion: A significant number of participants were found hypertensive. Associated factors of hypertension were stress, anxiety, obesity, lack of exercise, high salt intake, smoking, and high cholesterol levels.