Assessment of risk factors associated with hypertension among medical students

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of hypertension among medical students and explore the associations with various risk factors, including BMI, stress levels, smoking, and dietary habits.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: CMH Kharian Medical College. Over 3 months (March 2024 to June 2024).
Methods: The sample comprised 150 medical students from CMH Kharian Medical College. Participants were selected using stratified random sampling. Data collection involved a comprehensive self-structured questionnaire (Annexure 1) addressing demographic information, lifestyle factors and medical history, alongside standardized measurements for BMI and blood pressure. Stress assessment was done through a questionnaire made using the perceived stress scale as a reference. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square tests and one way ANOVA via IBM SPSS Statistics 28.
Results: The study had 59 males and 91 females having a median age of 21.07 years. Overall, 10 out of 150 (6.67%) students were found hypertensive. The variables that we compared were gender, family history, smoking, BMI, year of study, stress, diet and physical activity (Annexure 2).
Conclusion: Hypertension is prevalent among medical students, with significant associations observed with gender, Year of study and BMI. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to manage hypertension risk factors, particularly for male students and those with greater than normal BMI and underscores the importance of lifestyle factors to mitigate hypertension risk in the population.

Key Words: Hypertension, Medical students, BMI, Smoking, Stress, Lifestyle factors.