Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the most critical health problems and is also the most common chronic non-communicable disease in most countries. The purpose of this research was to identify the level of knowledge regarding hypertension among Riyadh population.
Methodology: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study, targeting Riyadh population. It included Adult, male, and female and excluded medical personnel. The study was conducted among 384 individuals, chosen through consecutive convenience sampling. The data were collected using a pre-tested, pre-coded, self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity before the study. Data analyzed using SPSS version 23 and p value of less than 0.05 considered as significant.
Results: Among the 384 participants, nearly half of them had a good level of awareness regarding hypertension complications (46.61%) and 37.50% had moderate knowledge. Almost 62% of the participants had a good level of awareness regarding risk factors and 18.49% had moderate knowledge. Majority of respondents (92.71%) had good knowledge regarding the prevention of hypertension. Moreover, 60.42% had good knowledge regarding blood pressure control, while 32.55% had moderate knowledge.
Conclusion: The majority of participants had a good level of awareness regarding blood pressure control, risk factor, complication, and prevention. There was no relationship between economic status and level of awareness of risk factors regarding hypertension.

Key words: Hypertension, awareness, risk factor, complication, prevention, economic status, Saudi Arabia