Abstract:
Background: Hypertension is main risk factor and precursor of myocardial infraction, chronic kidney
disease, heart failure and premature death. Self-care practices reassure hypertensive patients to have
better quality of life by preventing complications and decrease health care costs. There is still
minimal indication on self-care practices among hypertensive patients in southern Ethiopia and it is
not measured so far in Gamo zone. Also possible variable which knowledge about hypertension
consequence is not considered in previous studies will be addressed by this study. Objective of this
study to assess self-care practices and associated factors among adult hypertensive patients in public
hospitals in Gamo Zone, southern Ethiopia,
Methods; Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 hypertensive patients;
systematic random sampling was employed. The data were collected using face to face interviewer
questionnaires, and entered into Epidata version 4.4.3 software and then exported to statistical
package for social science (SPSS) version 25.0. Bivariate and multi-variable logistic regression was
used for analysis. Significance was declared by using p-value less than 0.05 with 95% confidence
interval.
Result: A total of 423 individuals 100% response rate, good self-care practices were found among
27.7% with CI=(0.238-0.316). Adhere to weight management, low salt diet, medication usage,
physical activity, non-alcohol drinking, and non-smoking, was 35.5%, 40%, 59%, 62.4%, 82%, and
94.8% respectively. Males (AOR=0.503 95% CI= 0.311-0.814), rural residence (AOR=0.46, 95%CI=
0.283-0.758), and less disease duration (AOR=0.503 95%CI= 0.312-0.812), were less likely to have
good self-care practice but participants who has co-morbidity (AOR=1.86, 95% CI=1.13-3.06) were
more likely to good self-cares practices.
Conclusion: Self-care practices among adult hypertensive patients were low in this study. The
factors impeding or enhancing the outcome variables were sex, residents, disease duration and
comorbidity were Significant associated with self-care practices. Hence, hypertensive patients
who with co-morbidity, live in rural residence, less disease durations and males should be educated
and counseled about the importance of adherence to self-care practices and its advantages in control
of hypertension, and also patient with less disease durations should be appoint frequently to visit
health facilities and advice the risk of having low self-care practices.
