Oil pollution and hypertension prevalence in Rivers State, Nigeria: A comparative study

Context: There is speculation that residents of oil‑polluted areas are more prone to having a high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCD), probably due to oil exploration, spillage, and gas flaring. Aims: This study was done to compare the prevalence of hypertension in oil‑polluted and non‑oil polluted communities in Rivers State Subjects and Methods: A community‑based household analytical cross‑sectional study was conducted on oil‑polluted communities in Ogoni local government areas and nonoil polluted communities in Abua/Odua LGA both in Rivers State. An interviewer‑administered structured World Health Organization STEPS instrument/questionnaire for NCD/chronic disease surveillance was used, and the sample size of 1000 participants was recruited via multistage sampling. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) we calculated through bivariate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of hypertension among persons resident in oil‑polluted and nonoil‑polluted communities was 59.8% and 46.6%, respectively. The comparison of prevalence showed statistical significance between both categories (χ = 16.97, P = 0.001). The regression model on crude analysis found residence (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.32–2.17) and cigarette smoking (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.19–2.29) were related to being hypertensive. Conclusions: The study revealed that participants who were residents in oil‑polluted areas had 1.69 times higher odds of having hypertension over those in areas without oil pollution. However, moderate and vigorous physical activity reduced the chances of having hypertension by 95%, and 99%, respectively.