Adherence to DASH diet by patients attending hypertension clinic at Kiruddu General Hospital

Abstract

This study explores the level of adherence to the DASH diet among hypertensive patients attending hypertension clinic at Kiruddu hospital. The study was conducted at the Kiruddu hypertensive outpatient clinic, involving adults over 18 with hypertension. Participants were recruited purposively, excluding first-time visitors, undiagnosed hypertension patients, inpatients, language barriers, or non-consenting individuals. Data collection involved gathering socio-demographic information, DASH diet knowledge, and physical measurements of weight, height, and blood pressure. The majority of respondents were female (96.1%), aged 31-60 (61%), married (39.9%), with a post-graduate or graduate education (25.3%), and employed in informal occupations (57.2%), earning between 500,001 – 1,000,000 Ushs monthly (30.9%). Most respondents did not have other medical conditions (71.0%), but among those who did, diabetes was the most common (58.3%). A significant portion was HIV negative (76.4%), and of the HIV-positive respondents (21.5%), many were not on antiretroviral therapy (53.2%). Knowledge of the DASH diet was present in 50.6% of respondents, though 63.1% did not believe it could lower blood pressure. Adherence to the diet was low, with 78.1% scoring below 50. The main barriers were the perceived high cost of the diet, lack of knowledge, and limited availability of recommended foods. Key predictors of adherence included family income, with higher income significantly associated with better adherence (p<0.05), while education level and knowledge of the diet did not significantly influence adherence (p>0.05). The study suggests that improving adherence requires making DASH-compliant foods more affordable, enhancing educational initiatives, establishing community support programs, and providing personalized diet plans. Addressing these areas can improve dietary adherence and health outcomes in hypertensive patients.