Research Article
Assessing Barriers to and Level of Adherence to Hypertension Therapy among Palestinians Living in the Gaza Strip: A Chance for Policy Innovation
Table 1
Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants.
| Variable | Frequency | Percentage |
| Age (N = 634) | Mean (minimum/maximum) | 59.0 (±11.49) years (23–88 years) | | ≤30 | 9 | 1.4 | 31–40 years | 31 | 4.9 | 41–50 years | 95 | 15.0 | 51–60 years | 234 | 36.9 | 61–70 years | 172 | 27.1 | >70 years | 93 | 14.7 |
| Sex (N = 649) | Males | 253 | 39.0 | Females | 395 | 61.0 |
| Marital status (N = 642) | Married | 509 | 79.3 | Single | 32 | 5.0 | Widow | 83 | 12.9 | Divorced | 18 | 2.8 |
| Level of education (N = 638) | None | 75 | 11.8 | Primary | 107 | 16.8 | Preparatory | 131 | 20.5 | High school | 176 | 27.6 | Diploma | 53 | 8.3 | Bachelor | 89 | 13.9 | Postgraduate studies | 7 | 1.1 |
| Smoking (N = 647) | Yes | 55 | 8.5 | No | 542 | 83.8 | Previous smoker | 50 | 7.7 | Number of cigarettes | Range: (1–40) cigarettes/day | Mean: 13.9 (7.90) | Age started smoking | Range: (10–49) years | Mean: 20.4 (7.26) |
| Smoking water pipe or vape (N = 647) | Yes | 7 | 1.1 | No | 625 | 96.6 | Previous smoker | 15 | 2.3 |
| Exercise and walking (N = 648) | Yes | 424 | 65.4 | No | 224 | 34.6 | 1-2 times a week | 194 | 45.5 | 3-4 times a week | 101 | 23.7 | 5–7 times a week | 131 | 30.8 |
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