Educational Needs for Hypertension Control among Adult Ghanaians Diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease and Hypertension

The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension is often higher among people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than among those with hypertension alone. This doctoral mixed-method study was conducted to identify and describe the educational needs for hypertension control among adult Ghanaians diagnosed with CKD and gain insights into their use of complementary health products and practices over or in addition to prescribed medications. Three hundred and fifty-one subjects for the quantitative and 12 participants for the qualitative components were recruited July through October 2022, from the renal outpatient unit at a large teaching hospital in the capital city of Accra. These participants/respondents were individuals diagnosed for one year or more with CKD and hypertension and were 18 or more years of age. Socio-demographic and blood pressure data were obtained from each person’s hospital folder/chart. Quantitative data were collected through using the Hypertension Knowledge-Level Scale developed by Erkoc et al. (2014) and the Knowledge Subscale of the CKD Screening Index developed by Khalil et al. (2014). Semi-structured face-to-face audiotaped interviews were then conducted to collect qualitative data from select participants about their use of complementary health products or practices over or in addition to prescribed hypertensive medications. The study revealed only 113 (32%) of the 351 subjects had controlled hypertension. An average knowledge of hypertension and CKD was found among them. A number of socio-demographic and other characteristics were associated with controlled hypertension. The interviews revealed all 12 participants used complementary health products and practices in addition to prescribed medications. Insights into their use of complementary health products and practices were gained. These findings inform considerations for the development of educational interventions to increase hypertension control among individuals diagnosed with CKD in Ghana.