Physical inactivity and its association with hypertension among adults in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity is one of the most significant risk factors for hypertension, which is currently a serious public health concern in developing nations, including Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled magnitude of physical inactivity and its association with hypertension among adults in Ethiopia. METHODS: We authors searched articles using PubMed, Science Direct, Google, Google Scholar, and manual search of unpublished research articles from March 10, 2021, to June 15, 2021. Data extraction and analysis were performed using Microsoft Excel16 and STATA version 14 software, respectively. The quality of eligible studies was checked using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal assessment tool. Heterogeneity of the included studies was tested using the I(2) statistic, and publication bias was checked using the Egger's test. RESULTS: A total of 7036 adults were included, and the pooled magnitude of physical inactivity among adults was found to be 57.44% (95% CI: 44.94–69.98). Adults who do not perform physical activity were 2.55 (95% CI: 1.08–6.01) times more likely to be hypertensive compared with their counterparts. Subgroup analysis revealed that the magnitude of physical inactivity was higher among studies done in 2016 and onwards 63.01 (95% CI: 47.76–78.26) compared to studies conducted before 2016, 50.80% (95% CI: 30.23–71.37). CONCLUSIONS: The pooled magnitude of physical inactivity among adults was high, and a risk factor for hypertension in adults. Thus, community engagements and integration of physical activity with the existing health system are the best strategies to decrease the increment of the magnitude of hypertension among adults.