Examining the relationships between socio-economic status and hypertension: an application of structural equation modelling

dc.contributor.authorMorgan, Raquel
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-03T08:02:07Z
dc.date.available2018-01-03T08:02:07Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.descriptionA research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 2017en_ZA
dc.description.abstractOver the years, epidemiological research has seen differing levels of the prevalence of hypertension across socio-economic strata. However in Sub-Saharan Africa, the patterns of association and underlying risk factors have often been poorly understood. In this study, we examined the extent to which socio-economic factors affect systolic and diastolic blood pressure across gender. Furthermore we explored whether certain risk factors associated with hypertension mediate this relationship. We used data from the third phase of the National Income Dynamic Study conducted in South Africa in 2012 on more than 18,000 adult individuals. Structural equation modelling and multiple linear regression were used to estimate the relationship between blood pressure and various behavioural, demographic and socio-economic variables. These results were then compared to determine which technique provides more meaningful results. A higher socio-economic status was associated with a higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure in both males and females. Furthermore, body mass index was a mediator of the indirect effect of socio-economic status on blood pressure. Smoker status, alcohol consumption, physical exercise, emotional well-being and resting heart rate were also mediators; however their role was modest in comparison to BMI. One of the findings of this study is that a reduction in the BMI of an individual will have an impact on lowering hypertension. Furthermore, the promotion of healthy behaviours that target higher income groups need to be established so that these groups can make rational decisions in choosing their behaviours.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianXL2018en_ZA
dc.format.extentOnline resource (xiv, 227 pages)
dc.identifier.citationMorgan, Raquel (2017) Examining the relationships between socio-economic status and hypertension: an application of structural equation modelling, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://hdl.handle.net/10539/23585>
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10539/23585
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSocial status--South Africa
dc.subject.lcshHypertension
dc.subject.lcshBlood pressure--Effects of social status on
dc.titleExamining the relationships between socio-economic status and hypertension: an application of structural equation modellingen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA

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