Self-care practice among hypertensive patients in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

backgroundIn high-income and low-income countries, including Ethiopia, hypertension (HTN) is a serious public health concern. As a consequence, a massive self-care practice (SCP) is necessary, and the domains of SCP, including adherence to medication, physical activity, weight management, low-salt diet, non-smoking, moderate alcohol usage, and dietary management, are required. However, there is no nationwide study on HTN SCPs in Ethiopia. This meta-analysis, therefore, aimed to estimate the pooled level of HCP among individuals living with HTN in Ethiopia.

methodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guideline was used to report this systematic review and meta-analysis. We systematically searched the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and Science Direct for studies conducted in Ethiopia. All observational studies published until July 2020 were included. Data were analysed using R V.3.5.3 software, and the pooled prevalence with 95% CIs was presented using tables and forest plots. The presence of statistical heterogeneity (

resultsOur search databases produced 356 papers. Twelve of these papers fulfilled the inclusion and were found suitable for the review. The total population in this study was 3938. Off these hypertensive populations, 44% (95% CI 34 to 53) had good SCP. The subgroup analysis for each component of SCP was done. The subgroup analysis of good adherence to low-salt diet, alcohol abstinence, medication adherence, non-smoking, physical exercise and weight management was 52% (95% CI 39% to 66%), 77% (95% CI 69% to 88%), 65% (95% CI 45% to 85%), 92% (95% CI 88% to 95%), 43% (95% CI 30% to 56%) and 51% (95% CI 32% to 69%), respectively. In conclusion, nearly half of patients with HTN had good SCPs.