To Study the attitudes, Beliefs and Perceptions regarding Hypertension, its risk factors and Complications among Patients of Hypertension and General Population

Assessment of attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of patients and general population are a crucial element of hypertension control, but little information is available from developing countries where hypertension has lately been recognised as a major health problem.

The aim of this study was to ascertain the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions regarding hypertension, its risk factors and complications among patients of hypertension and subjects from general population.

A random sample of 1563 patients of hypertension and 1847 people from general population were studied, using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire developed for the study.

Majority of the participants (both patients of hypertension and subjects from general population) showed poor basic knowledge, misplaced attitudes, beliefs and perceptions regarding hypertension. Males, literate and urban subjects fared better than females, illiterate and rural subjects in both the groups. Only 33.8% patients and 21.8% of general population was aware about the definition of high blood pressure.

Our study highlighted the misplace beliefs, attitudes and perceptions regarding hypertension, its risk factors and complicationsamong first contact hypertensive patients and majority of general population which will definitely inhibit proper management and control of hypertension necessitating the urgent need for individual and collective national effort in the form of national educative programmes to dispel the misconception and inadequate knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions of hypertensive patients and common people towards rapidly growing epidemic of hypertension.