Sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants of blood pressure in adult Nigerians.

BACKGROUND

Blood pressure (BP) trends are influenced by genetic, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, with notable population-specific variations. This study assessed the impact of these determinants on BP in urban Nigerians to identify high-risk subgroups and inform targeted interventions.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 5076 adults ages 18-92 y (51.1% female) from Lagos, Nigeria. Data were collected using a modified World Health Organization STEPS protocol, including standardized BP measurements. Multiple linear regression models evaluated the effects of sociodemographic (age, sex, education, marital status and occupation) and lifestyle factors (tobacco/alcohol use, physical activity and fruit/vegetable consumption) on systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) trends.

RESULTS

Age and marital status (married/cohabiting) significantly predicted higher SBP and DBP. Male sex, previously married, low physical activity and current tobacco use independently predicted elevated SBP, while alcohol consumption and employment type (salaried and self-employment) predicted higher DBP. The impacts of these factors on SBP and DBP ranged from β=0.03 to 0.28. Low fruit/vegetable consumption was not a significant independent predictor.

CONCLUSIONS

Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors exhibit unique patterns in influencing BP among urban Nigerians. Tailored public health strategies, including alcohol/tobacco risk awareness, access to health screening and socio-economic/marital support, are essential for effective hypertension prevention in this population.