Stroke risk factors among participants of a world stroke day awareness program in South-Western Nigeria

Introduction: Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in population across the world. Hypertension is the most common stroke risk factor globally as well as in the Nigerian population, however other modifiable risk factors such as obesity are becoming increasingly prevalent due to unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyle. Materials and Methods: We screened 224 volunteers from Ile-Ife during the 2011 and 2012 world stroke day commemorative activities. Blood pressures (BP) were measured and body mass index (BMI) was determined from weight and height measurements. The data from 40 (18%) were incomplete and were excluded from further analysis. Results: The 184 subjects eligible for analysis comprised 85 males (46.2%) and 99 females (53.8%), with a male to female ratio of 0.85: 1. Their ages ranged from 16 to 95 years (mean, 53 +/- 16 years). 25% of the study population had stage 1 or 2 hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure: 127 +/- 27 mmHg, mean diastolic blood pressure: 78 +/- 16 mmHg), while 34.8% and 14.7% were overweight and obese, respectively (mean BMI: 25.8 +/- 5.0 kg/m(2)). Conclusion: Stroke risk factors such as hypertension and obesity were common among the participants of the world stroke day awareness program in an urban area of Nigeria. Community screening and modification of these risk factors should be intensified in order to reduce stroke morbidity and mortality.