The burden of high blood pressure and related risk factors in urban Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidences from Douala in Cameroon

Objective: To provide the current burden of high blood pressure and related risk factors in urban setting in Cameroon. Methods:We used the WHO STEPS approach for Surveillance of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors to collect data from 2,559 adults aged 15-99 years, residing at Cite des Palmiers in Douala, Cameroon. Results: The level of education was low with up to 60% of participants totalizing less than primary school. Smoking habits were 6 times more frequent in men (p 0.001) and 85% of participants reported alcohol consumption. Sedentary lifestyles at work and at leisure time were prevalent.Women displayed high prevalence of obesity in general.The mean blood pressure and the prevalence of hyperten- sion increased with age in men and women.The prevalence of hypertension was 20.8%, and the risk of hypertension significantly increased with clustering of risk factors in the general population (p=0.001) and in men (p=0.008). Conclusions: This study provides additional evidence on the growing problem of hypertension and related risk factors in urban Cameroon; and confirms the feasibility of using the WHO STEPS approach for the surveillance of NCDs in Africa. There is a need for rapid implementation of preventive strategies in the country.