Prevalence Of Undiagnosed Hypertension, And Its Associated Factors Among Adults In Ambo Town, West Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2025

Abstract

Background:- Undiagnosed hypertension refers to high blood pressure that has not been detected or diagnosed by health care. It is a silent but deadly condition, that can lead to serious health consequences, including heart disease, stroke and cognitive impairment. Though routine screenings are vital, many people have not been aware of the risk of hypertension or the importance of blood pressure checks. Objective:- To assess the prevalence of the undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors among adult people in Ambo town, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2025. Methods-: A community-based cross-sectional study design was carried out among adults in Ambo town from March 21 to May 23, 2025. Four hundred ninety four participants were selected by the systematic random sampling and participated in the study. The Data was entered in to the computer using Epi Data 4.6 version and analysis was carried out using SPSS version 27 statistical software. Descriptive analysis was undertaken, and the results were presented using frequency tables, graphs, and statistical summaries. The regression analyses was done to determine factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension and adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI were estimated to measure the strength of the association and finally a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result: A total of 486 have participated in the study giving a response rate of 98.38%. This finding showed that the prevalence of the undiagnosed HTN among the respondents was 62 (12.8%) with 95% CI (10.63-13.49). The Male AOR 4.69, 95% CI (2.08, 10.55), Family history of HTN had AOR 4.68, 95% CI (1.66, 13.12), High salty food consumer AOR 4.65, 95% CI (1.59, 13.50), being physical inactive AOR 4.07, 95% CI (1.90, 8.67) and being obese AOR 3.88, 95% CI (1.78, 8.43) when compared to normal weight, were significantly associated factors with undiagnosed HTN. Conclusions and Recommendation: The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension found to be high in the Ambo town and calls for intervention. In addition, most of the risk factors identified were modifiable, and hence community based preventive approaches like lifestyle modification, increasing awareness, and strengthening routine screening at primary health service facilities resulting in a substantial change in tackling the burden effectively