Anyiekere Ekanem presents SRP findings to the Nigerian Medical Association

Dr. Anyiekere Morgan Ekanem gives a presentation to the Nigerian Medical Association Akwa Ibom chapter. (PHOTO: MAP-IT/Daniel Henry)

Written by Daniel Henry and April Houston.

Dr. Anyiekere Ekanem, co-investigator on the MAP-IT Nigeria study, recently presented findings from his HLB-SIMPLe small research project (SRP) to members of the Akwa Ibom chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association.

Dr. Ekanem and his team conducted focus groups with a subset of participants living with HIV and hypertension from the main MAP-IT study to explore their perceptions of hypertension, what they knew about its causes and consequences, and how confident they were in their own ability to manage the disease. Altogether, he held six focus groups in Akwa Ibom state – three in urban communities, three in rural.

Hypertension in Nigeria is associated with a variety of socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, including age, family medical history, diet, physical activity, and alcohol and tobacco consumption. Participants in Dr. Ekanem’s study mostly attributed their hypertension diagnosis to excessive thinking, negative life events, stress, and similar issues primarily affecting mental health, while overlooking the role of obesity, physical inactivity, and tobacco consumption.

Participants reported that barriers to controlling hypertension control were mainly individual factors such as religious beliefs, ignorance of the benefits of drug treatment, forgetfulness, misinformation, and poverty. Health providers can help patients to overcome these barriers by ensuring they counsel them regularly on how to prevent and/or treat hypertension and ensure medical treatment is accessible to all who are affected.

Findings from this qualitative study will be used to develop educational resources to advise PLHIV in Akwa Ibom on how to manage their risk factors related to hypertension and cardiovascular disease.