Munezero,Tamu John BoscoMfitumukiza, ValenceOkafor, Christiana NkiruMandera, ImmaculateKabami, JaneArineitwe, Edward BwengyeNamuyibwa, LydiaIzo, HerbertBaikaitwoha, Everd M.Okonkwo, Uchenna Prosper2024-10-222024-10-222024Munezero,Tamu John Bosco (2024). Prevalence of and Risk factors associated with hypertension: a community based- cross sectional study in Ndorwa West Health Sub District, Kabale district, southwestern Uganda. Kabale: Kabale University.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12493/2346Globally, one billion people have hypertension (HT), it kills 9.4 million people annually. Prevalence is higher in developed countries and is rapidly rising in developing countries, and approximately 31.5% of Ugandans have HT. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors associated with HT among adults aged 25–65 years in the Ndorwa West HSD, Kabale District. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with 381 adults aged 25–65 years in Ndorwa West HSD, using a modified WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance. Chi-square tests with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) and p-values less than 0.05, were used to assess the association between hypertension and associated factors. Odds Ratios (OR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) estimated the risk. The prevalence of HT and pre-HT in Ndorwa HSD was 28.3% and 45.7%, respectively. 61.8% (n = 243) were females and 36.1% (n = 142) were males with a mean age of 48.18 years and standard deviation of 11.5 years. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 25.92 kg/m2 and the standard deviation was 3.69 kg/m2. Only Age (p = 0.010, OR = 1.81(1.14–2.87) and level of education (p = 0.04) were significantly associated with hypertension. age ≥ 45years increased the likelihood of developing HT by 0.81 times. Behavioral factors associated with HT included awareness of the BP status (p = 0.010, OR = 0.53(CI: 0.32–0.87),use of fats/oil for cooking (p = 0.02, OR = 1.73 (CI: 1.09–2.75)), reduced salt intake (p = 0.001, OR = 0.075(CI:0.01–0.55)), and overweight and obesity (BMI) level ( p = 0.010, OR = 1.77 (CI 1.12–2.80)). BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 increased the likelihood of developing HT by 0.77 times. The prevalence of HT and pre-HT in this rapidly transitioning rural–urban population was high. The risk of CVDs is about 16 folds higher among pre-HT compared to no HT and doubles for every 10-mmHg increase in BP. Hence, the considerable risk and burden of HT and related CVDs that require a dire need to adopt strategies to prevent and control hypertension based on the identified associated risk factors in Ndorwa HSDenAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United Stateshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/PrevalenceHypertensionRisk FactorsCommunityUgandaArticle