Older age significantly increases the odds of inactivity among hypertensive patients, with aOR of 2.84 for ages 60–74 and 18.67 for ≥75 years.
A high prevalence of physical inactivity exists among hypertensive patients in Cameroon, strongly driven by older age, female sex, and comorbidities, highlighting the need for tailored lifestyle interventions.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Physical activity (PA) is a cornerstone of non-pharmacological hypertension management, yet evidence on its determinants remains limited in African populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 383 hypertensive patients in two referral hospitals in Cameroon to assess PA levels and associated factors. PA was classified as insufficiently active (<600 MET-min/week) or active (≥600 MET-min/week). Overall, 54% of participants were insufficiently active, 37.9% had moderate activity, and 8.1% reported vigorous activity. Older age was strongly associated with inactivity, particularly for ages 60–74 (aOR = 2.84, p < 0.001) and for ≥75 years (aOR = 18.67, p < 0.001). Comorbidities also predicted inactivity, including renal failure (aOR = 2.41, p < 0.001) and diabetes/other complaints (aOR = 4.92, p < 0.001). Female sex increased the odds of inactivity (aOR = 1.42, p = 0.038). Whereas higher education was protective, particularly secondary (aOR = 0.12, p < 0.001) and high-school level (aOR = 0.05, p < 0.001). Among inactive participants, the most frequent barriers were lack of motivation (38.6%), physical impairment (37.2%), lack of prescription (23.2%), and space constraints (21.7%), whereas perceived benefits (39.1%), motivation (26.1%), and available space (32.4%) were the most cited facilitators; however, none of these factors showed a significant association with PA in chi square analysis. The high prevalence of inactivity and the strong influence of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics underscore the need for tailored interventions that target older adults, women, and patients with comorbidities, while strengthening education and structured support for PA within hypertension care pathways.
Maurice et al. (Wed,) reported a other. Older age significantly increases the odds of inactivity among hypertensive patients, with aOR of 2.84 for ages 60–74 and 18.67 for ≥75 years.