Factors associated with knowledge of hypertension among adolescents: implications for preventive education programs in primary care

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HT) amongst adolescents remains a vital issue of both a medical and social nature. There is a lack of data regarding the factors influencing the awareness of the disease among the youth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge about HT among adolescents and its level corresponding to the selected demographic, environmental and medical factors. METHODS: The study was carried out among 250 adolescents of secondary schools. The authors’ questionnaire poll and the psychological tests Personal Values List (PVL) and Personal Competence Scale (PCS) were performed. RESULTS: Only 13.2% of the youth surveyed displayed the “medium” level (defined below) of HT knowledge. Most of them present satisfactory knowledge about the causes of HT. The children from urban areas generally displayed better knowledge about HT than their peers from rural regions. Only the children who had had their blood pressure previously examined displayed good knowledge about HT. The most frequently indicated source of this knowledge was school; however, its level still remains low. There was no significant association between the level of global knowledge about HT and the feeling of one’s own competences and considering the category “good health” an important personal value. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about HT among adolescents remains unsatisfactory and random, which indicates the necessity for routine education in this field, especially as it applies to HT symptoms. It seems that the consideration of such elements as blood pressure measurement and family history of HT in education programs can improve their efficiency. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1773-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.