Context:Nonadherence to therapeutic plans has been reported among hypertensive patients. Researchers have also shown that adherence to therapeutic plans improves if motivation in the form of social support is provided. There is a dearth of local studies that explore the influence of family support on treatment outcomes of hypertensive patients.Aims:The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between BP control and perceived family support in patients with essential hypertension seen at a primary care setting in Western Nigeria.Settings and Design:This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study.Subjects and Methods:Systematic random sampling technique was used in selecting 360 hypertensive respondents between April and July 2013. Data were collected through a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and a standardized tool, Perceived Social Support Family Scale, which measured the respondents’ level of perceived family support.Statistical Analysis Used:Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used to analyze data.Results:The majority of the respondents were middle-aged (61.1%) and female (59.4%). Blood pressure (BP) was controlled in 46.4% of the respondents. Most of the respondents (79.4%) had “strong” perceived family support. Strong perceived family support (odds ratio [OR] 4.778, 95% confidence interval [CI] =2.569–8.887) and female gender (OR 1.838, 95% CI = 1.177–2.869) were independent predictors of controlled BP.Conclusions:The proportion of hypertensive patients with optimal BP control is low in this practice setting. The positive association between BP control and perceived family support emphasizes the need for physicians to reflect on the available family support when managing hypertensive patients.

Objective: The practice of diabetes self-care behaviors has been cited as a foundation for achieving optimal glycemic control. Proper motivation of people with diabetes mellitus is, however, needed for the performance of these behaviors. It is therefore pertinent to know if motivation by the family will improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between glycemic control and perceived family support among Nigerians with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conduced on 316 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who attended a medical outpatient clinic. Data were collected through a pretested intervieweradministered questionnaire and a standardized tool (Perceived Social Support-Family scale). Hemoglobin A 1c level was used as an indicator of glycemic control. Results: The proportion of participants with good glycemic control was 40.6%. Most of the participants (137, 43.8%) had strong perceived family support. Strong perceived family support (P = 0.00001, odds ratio 112.51) was an independent predictor of good glycemic control. Conclusion: This study shows that strong perception of family support is a predictor of glycemic control among the adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus studied. Physicians working in sub-Saharan African countries with rich kinship networks should harness the available family support of people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in their management.

Achieving guideline-recommended blood pressure is imperative in reducing the rising tide of uncontrolled hypertension and its attendant sequelae, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The aim of the study was to describe the pattern of blood pressure control and identify the factors influencing blood pressure control among patients with primary hypertension seen at family medicine clinics of FMC, Abeokuta. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. A systematic random sampling technique was used in selecting 360 hypertensive respondents over four months. Data were collected through a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 was used to analyse data. Results: Blood pressure was controlled in 167 (46.4%) of the respondents. The independent predictors of blood pressure control were female gender (p = 0.001, OR = 2.494, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.477-4.214), regular use of medication (p = 0.001, OR = 2.900, 95% CI = 1.508-5.577), regular clinic attendance (p < 0.001, OR = 3.512, 95% CI = 1.772-6.960), and absence of diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001, OR = 7.357, 95% CI = 3.190-16.966). Conclusions: The rate of blood pressure control among the hypertensive respondents was low. Multiple independent predictors of controlled blood pressure call for a team-based approach as well as multiple approaches including education of patients, expansion of a community-based health insurance programme and intensification of treatment efforts when managing hypertensive patients.

Objective: The practice of self-care behaviors by patients with diabetes mellitus plays a vital role in achieving optimal glycaemic control. Previous Nigerian studies discussed how the knowledge of self-care behaviors among people with diabetes influences glycaemic control rather than the impact of these behaviors on glycaemic control. This study assesses the relationship between the practice of diabetes self-care behaviors and glycaemic control. Research Design and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among people with type 2 diabetes at the medical outpatient clinic of the hospital. Three hundred and sixteen participants were recruited over four months, however, due to incomplete data only 313 of these participants were analyzed. Data on respondents' characteristics and level of self-care behaviors were obtained using a pretested questionnaire and the Summary of Diabetic Self-Care Activities (SDSCA). A1C was used as an indicator of glycaemic control. Results:The proportion of the participants with "good" glycaemic control and "good" practice of self-care behaviors were 40.6% and 26.8% respectively. Female gender (P=0.002, OR=4.23), using only oral hypoglycaemic agents (P=0.029, OR=4.83), the absence of truncal obesity (P<0.001, OR=15.33), and "good" practice of self-care behavior (P<0.001, OR=5.86) were predictors of "good" glycaemic control. Conclusion:The proportion of patients with "good" glycaemic control and "good" practice of self-care behaviors were low. The predictors of glycaemic control in this study, which included medical and non-medical components of diabetes care, underscores the importance of a multi-pronged approach involving prescriptive practices by physicians and improved self-care behavioral practices by patients.

Background: For many decades, hypertension guidelines have recommended dual-arm blood pressure measurement. However, the practice is poor in Nigerian primary care and its significance largely unidentified. Hence, the need to determine the significance of detecting inter-arm blood pressure difference among primary care patients in our local population. This study was done to determine the point prevalence of inter-arm blood pressure difference and its relationship with hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 214 respondents at the general outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Demographic characteristics and anthropometric indices were obtained. Blood pressure readings were obtained through sequentially repeated measurements in respondents’ arms. Results: One hundred and eighty-six respondents had complete data given a completion rate of 86.9%. Systolic blood pressure was higher on the right and left arm in 102 (54.8%) and 56 (30.1%) of the respondents respectively. Diastolic blood pressure was higher on the right and left arm in 73 (39.2%) and 63 (33.9%) of the respondents respectively. The overall prevalence of significant systolic inter-arm difference (≥ 10 mmHg) and diastolic inter-arm difference (≥ 10 mmHg) were 24.2% and 18.8% respectively. Significant systolic inter-arm difference (p=0.033) and diastolic inter-arm difference (p=0.01) were significantly more among respondents with hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: The blood pressure readings in both arms were different among majority of the respondents, being higher on the right arm in more of them. The prevalence of significant inter-arm difference was high in the unselected primary care patients studied especially among patients with hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus. Blood pressure measurement in both arms should become a routine practice during initial patients’ visits in primary care.