SELF-CARE PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN HARAR TOWN PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES, EASTERN ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Background: Self-care practice is an activities that hypertensive patient undertakes with the intention of improving health. Evidence shows that poor self-care practice can lead to uncontrolled hypertension. Due to uncontrolled hypertension by 2015 in Africa, 146500 people died in west sub-Saharan Africa, 185500 people died in East sub-Saharan Africa. Seventy four thausend six hundred died in south sub Saharan Africa and 60700 died in central Sub-Saharan Africa and in our country Ethiopia 42900 people died. However, there is limited information on self-care practice either in Ethiopia in general or in Harar town public health facilities in particular. Objective: To assess self-care practice and associated factors among hypertensive patients in public health facilities in Harar Town, Ethiopia from March,25 to April 16,2019. Methodology; Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Data was collected through face to face exit interview using electronic Open data kit (ODK) tool offline software and exported to SPSS version 22 for analysis. Analytical statistics including principle component analysis was used to estimate wealth index. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the significance association between independant and dependent variables. P<0.05 and AOR with 95% CI were used to report significance and strength of association, respectively. Result: prevalence of good self care was estimated to be 29.9% with 95% CI: 25.3%, 34.7%. Patient’s ≥60 years old (AOR=3.348, 95% CI: 1.211, 9.258). Respondents who had formal education were 2.2 times more likely to perform good self care practice (AOR=2.284, 95% CI: 1.256, 4.15). Respondents with no co morbidity were 1.8 times more likely to practice good self-care practice (AOR=1.807, 95% CI: 1.066, 3.065). Those patients who had good knowledge about hypertension were 4.6 times more likely to practice good selfcare practice (AOR=4.673, 95% CI: 2.481, 8.800). Participants who had good social support were 2.7 times more likely to have good self-care practice (AOR=2.706, 95% CI: 1.563, 4.688). Patients who did not chew khat were also 2 times more likely to have good self care practice (AOR=1.928, 95% CI: 1.061, 3.503). Conclusion and reccomendation: self care practice was found to be very low. Factors that associate with good self care practice were found to be Having no Co morbidity, patient who have good knowledge about hypertension, being greater than 60 years old age, having high educational status, patients who had good social support and patients who did not chew khat were significantly associated with good self care practice. Effort should be done to prevent co morbidities, teaching patient bout HTN and maintain social support