Measured and self-reported hypertension among women of reproductive age, Gambia, Kenya, Mozambique

Magee, Laura A; Sevene, Esperanca; Rerimoi, Anne; Craik, Rachel; Muteti, Ashley; Temmerman, Marleen; Vidler, Marianne; D’Alessandro, Umberto; Roca, Anna; Bone, Jeffrey N; Sandhu, Ash; Volvert, Marie-Laure; Jah, Hawanatu; Macuacua, Salesio; Koech, Angela; Mistry, Hiten D; Dadelszen, Peter von

Measured and self-reported hypertension among women of reproductive age, Gambia, Kenya, Mozambique

Authors

D’Alessandro, Umberto

Roca, Anna

Bone, Jeffrey N

Publisher

World Health Organization

Description

This article examines the prevalence of measured and self-reported hypertension among women of reproductive age in the Gambia, Kenya and Mozambique using data from the PRECISE (PREgnancy Care Integrating translational Science, Everywhere) prospective cohort study. The analysis included 1825 non-pregnant women aged 15–49 years recruited from urban and rural settings and assessed the accuracy of self-reported hypertension compared with blood pressure measurements. Hypertension prevalence estimates were adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, including age, body mass index, education, parity and use of antihypertensive medication and oral contraceptives. Measured hypertension prevalence was higher in Mozambique and the Gambia than in Kenya, whereas self-reported hypertension showed different patterns across countries. Comparison of self-reported and measured hypertension demonstrated low sensitivity but high specificity in all three settings, indicating that many women with hypertension were not identified through self-report alone. The findings suggest that self-reported hypertension is not a reliable method for estimating population prevalence among women of reproductive age in these countries. The study supports the inclusion of standardized blood pressure measurements alongside self-reported information in surveillance systems and population-based monitoring of noncommunicable disease risk factors.
563
569