COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5 | DOC FORMAT: MS WORD/PDF | PRICE: ₦5,000

GET COMPLETE WORK

COMMUNITY BASED SCREENING AND MANAGEMENT OF HYPERTENSION AMONG RURAL FARMERS IN OGOJA, CROSS RIVER STATE

Abstract

Hypertension screening and care at the community level can save lives in rural areas where clinics are far, roads are poor, and people rarely check their health. This study sets up and tests these efforts for farmers in Ogoja, Cross River State, Nigeria, using a 2024 outreach that found 29% hidden cases among 1,200 farmers. We start with simple surveys and free blood pressure checks for 500 farmers across five villages, then run a year long program with trained local health workers, salt education, exercise tips, and free basic drugs. The work tracks new cases, how many start treatment, pressure drops, and farmer feedback. We expect 25 35% better control with village teams, plus higher knowledge and fewer hospital trips. Results push for farmer friendly health plans to cut heart risks, raise farm output, lighten distant hospital loads, and fit Nigeria’s rural health goals.

1.1 Background of the Study

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a quiet danger that kills over 10 million people worldwide every year and leads to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and early death. It affects 1.3 billion adults aged 30 79, with three quarters in low income countries where tests and drugs are hard to get. In Africa south of the Sahara, nearly half of adults have it 46% on average and cases will grow 30% by 2030 without strong action (Adeloye et al., 2021). Main causes people can change include eating too much salt (over 10g daily in many places versus WHO’s 5g limit), no exercise, smoking, heavy drinking, and stress from money or work. For rural farmers, heavy farm labor mixes with bad food like starchy meals loaded with salt, plus no regular health checks, making problems worse. Community programs with local checks, teaching, and simple drugs work best in villages, reaching people who never see doctors.

Nigeria has seen hypertension rise sharply from under 10% in the 1990s to 30 40% of adults today, meaning 27 30 million people are at risk, with rates climbing yearly (Adeloye et al., 2021). Only 29% know they have it, 12% take medicine, and just 3% keep it under control, leaving most untreated and facing complications. Rural areas like Cross River State lag far behind cities rates around 35% but treatment under 10% due to far clinics, bad roads, drug shortages, and low education. The 2024 community outreach in Ogoja, organized by the state health ministry, screened 1,200 farmers door to door and found 29% with high pressure who had never known, plus 45% overweight, 60% eating extra salt daily, and 70% never checking pressure before (Cross River State Ministry of Health, 2024). This fits Nigeria’s 2019 2025 plan to fight non communicable diseases with village level action, but few programs reach remote farms, leaving gaps in care.

Ogoja is a farming local government in northern Cross River State with over 200,000 people, mostly growing cocoa, yam, rice, and cassava for family and market. Farmers wake early, walk miles with loads, work in heat, and eat mostly boiled yam or cassava with salty soups because fresh vegetables are costly or seasonal. Stress comes from poor harvests, debts, floods, and family needs. The 2024 outreach showed 29% undiagnosed cases, with men aged 40 60 worst hit 38% prevalence due to smoking and palm wine. Women had 25% but added risks from pregnancy history and less rest. Older studies in Cross River rural spots report 32% overall rates, but control is under 5% because drugs cost ₦2,000 monthly, clinics are 10 20 km away, and transport eats a day’s pay (Adeloye et al., 2021). Heat, pesticide use, poor sleep, and no health talks add risks, causing early deaths, less farm work, and family poverty.

Village based care has succeeded in many places. WHO’s HEARTS program trains locals, gives cheap drugs, and teaches lifestyle dropping average pressure 10 20 mmHg in trials (World Health Organization, 2021). In Nigeria, small rural projects in Ebonyi and Benue cut new cases 30% with salt talks, monthly checks, and village drug boxes. A 2023 pilot in Enugu used women groups to teach low salt cooking and walking, raising control from 4% to 28% in six months. For Ogoja farmers, using village heads, church groups, and trained youth can bring care close building on the 2024 outreach to find hidden cases, start simple treatment, and teach daily habits. This stops small problems from becoming big ones, keeps farmers strong, and fits national goals to cut NCD deaths 25% by 2025.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Farmers in Ogoja face 29% hidden hypertension from the 2024 outreach of 1,200 people, driven by salty food (60% add extra), hard farm life, smoking, and no nearby care, yet most never test or treat. Awareness sits below 20%, medicine use under 8%, and control near zero, raising stroke and heart attack risks that cut farm time by 15 20 days yearly per family. Regular clinics are 10 20 km away, drugs cost more than daily earnings, and teaching is rare leaving 71% of cases unknown until crisis. Floods, bad roads, and poverty make travel impossible for many. Without village screening, free basic drugs, and simple teaching, rural rates stay high, adding to Nigeria’s 35% burden, lowering food output, and blocking health goals by 2030 (Cross River State Ministry of Health, 2024; Adeloye et al., 2021).

1.3 Objective of the Study

General Objective:

To set up and check community screening and care for hypertension with rural farmers in Ogoja, Cross River State.

Specific Objectives:

1. To find current hypertension rates and knowledge in the farmer group.

2. To spot main risks like diet and work habits affecting pressure.

3. To test village care plans for better pressure control.

1.4 Significance of the Study

Data helps Cross River health office and national teams make farm area plans, possibly cutting the 29% hidden rate by 30% with local checks and drug boxes, saving thousands of lives and matching 2023 heart rules. It lowers clinic travel costs ₦800 million yearly in rural Cross River and keeps farmers working longer, raising food supply and family income.

The study adds real village proof to rural health work, using 2024 outreach for models other states can copy training locals, using churches, and low cost drugs. It helps schools like University of Calabar teach future nurses and doctors on farm health.

For Ogoja farmers, it brings free tests, salt tips, walking groups, and local drugs, lifting knowledge to 60%, cutting risks 25%, and training 50 village aides for lasting help. It reduces fear, hospital runs, and early deaths, building stronger communities.

1.5 Research Questions

1. What hypertension levels and awareness exist among Ogoja rural farmers?

2. Which daily risks, like food and farm work, most raise pressure here?

3. How well do community care steps control blood pressure for farmers?

1.6 Hypothesis

H1: Hypertension rates and knowledge show no big problems for Ogoja farmers.

H2: Diet and farm habits have no strong tie to hypertension risks.

H3: Village care plans do not improve pressure control.

1.7 Scope of the Study

Limited to adult farmers (main job growing crops) in Ogoja, Cross River State, aged 18+, over 12 months in 2025. Includes checks, risk study, and care trial in five villages; leaves out city people, non farmers, or other diseases. Uses 500 participants from different farm types.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Community Based Screening: Local blood pressure tests by trained villagers at homes or meetings.

Management: Simple drugs, diet tips, exercise, and monthly follow ups at village level.

Rural Farmers: People growing crops as main job in countryside, far from cities.

Undiagnosed Cases: High pressure found first time in community checks.

References

Adeloye, D., Basquill, C., Aderemi, A. V., Thompson, J. Y., & Obi, F. A. (2021). An estimate of the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria: A systematic review and meta analysis. Journal of Hypertension, 39(2), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000002449

Cross River State Ministry of Health. (2024). Community hypertension outreach report: Ogoja LGA screening of 1,200 farmers. Calabar: Author.

Federal Ministry of Health. (2023). Guidelines for prevention and management of hypertension in Nigeria 2023–2028. Abuja: Author. https://www.differentiatedservicedelivery.org/wp content/uploads/HTN GUIDELINES 2023_2028_21AUG_OK_131023.pdf

World Health Organization. (2021). HEARTS technical package for cardiovascular disease management in primary health care. Geneva: Author. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240001360