DUCS-DHD Determinants of Hypertension in Tanzania

The aim of the Dar es Salaam Urban Cohort Hypertension Study (DUCS-HTN) was to determine the current prevalence, risk factors, and barriers to diagnosis and treatment for hypertension in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Few previous studies in Tanzania have analyzed the modifiable determinants of high BP as well as barriers to diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. DUCS-HTN is a cohort of adults living in the Ukonga ward of Dar es Salaam who had been registered in the Dar es Salaam Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in 2011. Due to the large size of Ukonga, the investigators chose to randomly sample two of the seven neighborhoods that compose Ukonga and then conducted a census of these two randomly selected neighborhoods, Mwembe Madafu and Markazi. The investigators attempted to contact all 4896 HDSS participants who were at least 40 years of age and lived in one of these neighborhoods. Trained interviewers conducted face-to-face interviews and physical examinations in participants' homes from March to June 2014. Follow-up visits were conducted from April to June 2015. Among 4896 potentially eligible participants from the HDSS baseline survey, 3604 (74%) were still living at the same address in 2014. Of these, 2290 (64%) enrolled in the DUCS-HTN study. Of the participants enrolled at baseline, 1752 (77%) participated in the follow-up study. Blood pressure measurements Trained interviewers measured blood pressure with digital blood pressure monitors (15 Omron M2 and 5 Beurer BM 40 monitors). Standard, large, and extra-large cuff sizes were used according to the size of a participant's arm. Blood pressure was measured three times with at least a 5-minute rest before the first measurement and 3-minute rests between each subsequent measurement. Blood pressure was taken on the left arm with the participant seated and the arm straight at heart level. Usual blood pressure values were calculated as the mean of the second and third readings. If a second visit w