Predictors of Hypertension in a Population of Undergraduate Students in Sierra Leone

Table 2

Potential risk factors for the student population on Njala campus (probabilities from single factor ANOVA or linear regression).

Attribute	Number	Median BP-S (interquartile)	Significance	Median BP-D (interquartile)	Significance
Sociodemographic
Sex
Male	250	122 (112 : 131)	p < 0.001	75 (67 : 82)	NS
Female	80	112 (103 : 121)		76 (68 : 82)
Age range
Age < 25 years	171	118 (108 : 130)		72 (65 : 80)
Age ≥ 25 years	159	121 (111 : 130)		77 (70 : 83)
Biological variables
BMI
Obese (I & II)	15	123 (118 : 137)	Regression	84 (74 : 91)
Overweight	46	124 (111 : 132)		77 (70 : 84)
Normal	251	119 (109 : 128)		73 (67 : 81)
Marital status
Married	22	124 (115 : 130)	NS	77 (72 : 87)	NS
Single	305	120 (109 : 129)		74 (67 : 82)	()
Health behaviour
Alcoholic intake
Drink alcohol	109	120 (111 : 129)	NS	72 (66 : 80)	NS
No alcohol	238	119 (109 : 130)		76 (68 : 82)	()
Palm oil intake
Palm oil > 4 d/w	158	123 (110 : 131)	Regression	75 (67 : 83)	NS
Palm oil 3-4 d/w	153	118 (110 : 128)		73 (67 : 81)
Palm oil 1-2 d/w	33	115 (108 : 128)		76 (67 : 82)
Palm oil, never	3	123 (122 : 129)		87 (83 : 87)
Vegetable intake
Fresh tomato	83	120 (111 : 130)	NS	79 (69 : 84)
No fresh tomato	263	119 (109 : 129)		73 (67 : 81)
Self-reported
Typhoid
Typhoid recently	38	112 (102 : 122)		69 (65 : 78)
No typhoid	308	120 (110 : 130)		76 (68 : 82)
Self-reported
Malaria
Malaria recently	147	118 (109 : 129)	NS	73 (66 : 81)	NS
No malaria	199	120 (110 : 130)		76 (68 : 83)	()

BP-S: systolic blood pressure; BP-D: diastolic blood pressure; NS: not significant; d/w = days per week.