Prevalence and Associated Factors of Hypertension among Motorcycle Taxi Drivers in Kakonko District, Kigoma Region, Western Tanzania

Background: Hypertension is a significant cardiovascular risk factor and a public health concern in low-income and middle-income countries, including Tanzania. However, data on hypertension is scarce in Tanzania. We investigated the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors among motorcycle taxi drivers in Kakonko district, Kigoma region western Tanzania. Method: We conducted a descriptive and cross-sectional study among motorcycle taxi drivers between Agost and November 2024. We enrolled 312 eligible participants for data collection by purposive sampling. The independent variables (exposure) of interest were Age, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, family history of hypertension, duration of motorcycle driving, BMI, duration of sleeping, and eating (fruits/vegetables). The outcome variable of interest was hypertension defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg. Descriptive and logistic regression was used during statistical analysis. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 34.6%. Factors that were positively associated with increasing odds of hypertension during both univariate and multivariate analysis were age above 30 years old, over weight and obesity. Conclusion and Benefit of Results: The intervention for hypertension must also put much emphasis in addressing the problem of obesity and overweight. The results of this study are essential for the formulating health policies to improve the diagnosis, prevention and management of hypertension in Tanzania.