Physical Activity and Its Associated Factors among Patients with Hypertension at Amhara Region Comprehensive Specialised Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia: An Institutional Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Accurate evaluation of physical activity for patients with hypertension is important to determine patients' health outcomes and intervention measures. Information about physical activity among patients with hypertension in Ethiopia is not well known. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to assess the physical activity and associated factors among patients with hypertension. STUDY DESIGN: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted. STUDY SETTING: The study was conducted at the Tertiary Hospital Northwest, Ethiopia. OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity was assessed by Global Physical Activity Questionnaire as the primary outcome and factors significantly associated with physical activity were secondary outcomes. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and twenty patients with hypertension took part in the study; among those 233 were men and 187 were women. The study participants were chosen using a systematic random sampling method. SPSS V.20 statistical software was used to analyse the data. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis model, adjusted OR (AOR) with a 95% CI and p value<0.05 were used to identify the associated factors with physical activities. RESULTS: Our study showed that 19.1% of study participants had inadequate physical activity, being old age with AOR: 10.27 (3.21 to 33.01), low or poor self-efficacy with AOR: 10.34 (4.89 to 21.84), poor self-rated health with AOR: 5.91 (1.73 to 20.13) and lack of adequate facilities with AOR: 4.07 (1.72 to 9.66) were significantly associated with inadequate physical activity. CONCLUSION: Inadequate physical activity was detected in one-fifth of the study participants, according to our research. Being elderly, having low self-efficacy, having inadequate facilities and having poor self-rated health were all linked to inadequate physical activity.

Depressive Symptoms and Its Associated Factors Among Primary Caregivers of Stroke Survivors at Amhara Regional State Tertiary Hospitals: Multicenter Study.

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of severe disability and functional limitation, which are reasons for being dependent on their family for daily activities and participation in social affairs. After discharge from the hospital, most stroke survivors require physical, psychosocial, and financial support from caregivers at home, which is one of the most stressful events for families. The stroke survivors and their caregivers may influence each other during the caregiving process and social life. The stroke survivor's disability and depressive symptoms affect the quality of life of the survivor and their caregivers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression among caregivers of stroke survivors. Methods: An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Amhara regional state tertiary hospitals. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 424 participants. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered and chart-reviewed structured questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with depression. Adjusting the odds ratio with the corresponding 95% confidence interval and variables with a P-value < 0.05 was considered significantly associated with depression. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 65.6% (95% CI: 60.8-69.8). Being female, older than 40, having no formal education, having a low family monthly income, being the son or daughter, and spending more than six hours per day were associated with depression. Conclusion: We found that depression was prevalent among primary caregivers of stroke survivors. To reduce the risk of developing depression, policymakers should fully recognize the role of caregivers in caring for stroke patients. More attention should be given to caregivers who are female, elderly, have a low income, are sons or daughters, and spend a long time caring per day.