Bank workers in Africa had an overall pooled hypertension prevalence of 29.75%, with poor knowledge, family history, physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, and overweight/obesity as significant risk factors.
Meta-Analysis (n=3,336)
Approximately 30% of bank workers in Africa have hypertension, which is significantly associated with modifiable risk factors such as physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, and overweight/obesity, highlighting the need for workplace health interventions.
The global burden of hypertension is projected to affect 1.5 billion people by 2025. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the burden currently impacts 74.7 million individuals and is expected to rise sharply to 125.5 million by 2025. However, there is a limited systematic review and meta-analysis that shows pooled prevalence of hypertension among the bank workers population in Africa.. This study aimed to generate updated information on this topic. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the pooled prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among bank workers in Africa, 2024. This systematic review and meta-analysis included cross-sectional studies conducted in African countries and published in English from inception up to December 30, 2024. Excluded were conference proceedings, qualitative research, commentaries, editorial letters, case reports, case series, monthly and annual police reports. The search encompassed full-text publications written in English and databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, African Journals Online (AJOL), Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, and Google. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA-17 software and RevMan 5.4. A random-effects model was employed to estimate pooled proportions, and effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals. Funnel plots and Egger’s test were used to examine the possibility of publication bias (p-value < 0.10), and the trim-and-fill method by Duval and Tweedie was applied to adjust for publication bias. Twelve studies with a total of 3336 study participants that are conducted in four African countries and meet the inclusion criteria were reviewed for this study. Among bank employees in Africa, the overall pooled prevalence of hypertension was 29.75 (95% CI = 23.37, 36.12, I2 = 94.4%). Factors such as poor knowledge (OR = 3.55, 95% CI: 2.45,5.14, I2 = 0%), family history of hypertension (OR = 4.57, 95% CI: 1.88, 11.12, I2 = 75%), physically inactive (OR = 3.81, 95% CI: 2.70, 5.38, I2 = 0%), sedentary lifestyle (OR = 2.84, 95% CI: 1.58, 5.12: I2 = 0%), and overweight/obesity (OR = 4.01, 95% CI: 2.94, 5.47, I2 = 28%) were significantly associated with hypertension. This study revealed that, approximately one-third of bank employees experience hypertension in Africa. Key modifiable risk factors include poor hypertension awareness, sedentary lifestyles, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity, along with non-modifiable factors like family history. The findings call for implementing regular health screenings, awareness campaigns about hypertension’s asymptomatic nature, and practical measures like ergonomic adjustments and movement breaks. A multi-sectoral approach combining institutional actions (routine BP monitoring, activity-promoting workplaces) and national policies (health sector prioritization, strengthened primary care) is essential to curb this occupational health crisis effectively. However, this study has several limitations, including significant variability in research findings, a small sample size, reliance on observational studies alone, and the exclusion of non-English publications. Additionally, access to key medical databases such as Scopus, HINARI, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science was limited. This study registered in PROSPERO with the registration ID and link as follows: CRD42022364354; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/recorddashboard# .
Moloro et al. (Wed,) conducted a meta-analysis in Hypertension (n=3,336). Bank employment was evaluated on Pooled prevalence of hypertension (95% CI 23.37, 36.12). Bank workers in Africa had an overall pooled hypertension prevalence of 29.75%, with poor knowledge, family history, physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, and overweight/obesity as significant risk factors.