Adherence to Healthy Lifestyle among Hypertensive Patients in Harar Region, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Hypertensive adults poorly adhere to proper treatment and the recommended lifestyles. This study sought to determine the status of adherence to the recommended healthy lifestyles and its affecting factors. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among the hypertensive patients of age 18 years and above who were receiving an antihypertensive treatment at the Hiwot Fana and Jugola hospitals. The single population proportion formula was used to estimate the total sample size of 422 study subjects. The World Health Organization stepwise approach to the non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance based questionnaire was used to label the patient as adherent and non-adherent to the healthy lifestyle. Bivariate logistic regression was carried out to check the effect of independent variables on adherence. Finally, multivariate logistic regression was carried out to minimize the confounding variables and effect modifiers with P value <0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Result: An adherence to the healthy lifestyle was 62.1%. Each patient was adherent to at least one recommendation and only 28.7% of the respondents were adherent to all the recommended six healthy lifestyles. From all respondents; 62.3% were adherent to the exercise, 81.8% were adherent to the diet, 81.5% were adherent to the tobacco, 95.8% were adherent to the alcohol, 98.5% were adherent to the salt and 56.4% met the ideal body weight or body mass index. Marital status, educational level, distance, blood pressure control, hospital visit and Khat chewing were significantly associated with adherence to the recommended healthy lifestyle. Conclusion: Adherence to the recommended lifestyle was far below the recommendation. Emphasis should be given to the awareness creation, its complications and the nearby service; thereby increase adherence behavior of hypertensive patients. Moreover, there is a greater need for behavioural change communication in the region.