Can low anthropometric features contribute to the non-screening for hypertension among adults in Burkina Faso: Results from the secondary analysis using the database of the 2013 WHO STEPS survey

Background This paper compared the anthropometric and blood pressure features between the adults who have ever and never been screened for hypertension prior to the first WHO’ Stepwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) survey in Burkina Faso and assessed the associated factors with the uptake of the hypertension screening. Methods This was a secondary analysis using primary data from a cross-sectional study which were obtained from the 2013 STEPS survey conducted in Burkina Faso. We included 3831 men and women aged 25–64 years. Descriptive and analytical analyses were performed using Student’s t, and chi-square tests and logistic regression models respectively. Results Before the survey, 41.6% of participants have never been screened for hypertension, and comparatively to those who have ever been screened, they had significant lower means of weight, waist circumference and body mass index and lower prevalences of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. The prevalence of prehypertension was similar between in the two groups (41.6% in those who have never been screened vs 39.5%; p=0.19) whereas that of hypertension was lower in those who have never been screened (17.3% vs 20.8%; p=0.007). In addition to the important socio-demographic correlates in the logistic regression, the presence of both overweight/obesity (aOR=1.3; p=0.03) and abdominal obesity (aOR=1.3; p=0.002) were significantly associated with the uptake of hypertension screening. Conclusion Prehypertension and hypertension were also frequent in adults who had never been screened for hypertension and they usually had a slim-looking build, while the overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity status may motivate for the uptake of the hypertension screening.