Hypertension Awareness in Healthy Population in Burkina Faso and Türkiye

Abstract

Background: Hypertension (HT) is a global health problem and a major cause of preventable death. However, most individuals with high blood pressure remain unaware of their condition. This study determined HT prevalence among healthy adults in Burkina Faso and Türkiye and evaluated public awareness. Methods: Blood pressure was measured using an automated digital device, and clinical data were recorded. To raise awareness, participants received multilingual informative brochures via printed paper and smartphone messages. Results: The study enrolled 206 participants: 89 (43.2%) women and 117 (56.8%) men, comprising 97 (47.1%) Burkinabe and 109 (52.9%) Turkish individuals. Over 22.3% of the entire population had HT, and 59.7% fell into the elevated blood pressure category; 18% had normal blood pressure. Within the HT group, the proportion of men (28.2%) was twice that of women (14.6%) (p < 0.05). A parental history of HT was significantly higher among Turkish participants (54.5%) than the Burkinabe group (24.7%) (p < 0.05). Similarly, the smoking rate was substantially higher in the Turkish group (37.6%) than in the Burkinabe group (3.1%) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Hypertension is highly prevalent, while public awareness remains critically low. Urgent regular screenings and public health literacy campaigns are essential in both nations. Keywords: Hypertension, Awareness, Prevalence, Burkina Faso, Türkiye.