Awareness and perceived barriers in practicing healthy living to prevent hypertension among young adults in Malaysia

Objective:To investigate the knowledge,attitude,and practice levels and perceived barriers towards healthy living to prevent hypertension among young adults in Malaysia.Methods:Adults aged 18-25 years reside in Malaysia were recruited via convenience sampling.Sociodemographic characteristics,medical knowledge on hypertension(K1),knowledge(K),attitude(A),practice(P)and perceived barriers in practising healthy living to prevent hypertension were assessed.Average scores were categorised into good(80%-100%),upper-moderate(70%-79%),lower-moderate(60%-69%)and poor(<60%).Multivariate analysis was performed to test the difference and relationship of variables.Pearson correlation test was used to test the association of two continuous variables.Results:A total of 1218 respondents participated in this survey.The mean score of K1 was 54.1%,while the knowledge,attitude,and practice towards healthy living were 82.7%,78.2%and 68.5%respectively.The prevalence of high salt intake,high fat intakes,low fibre intake,sedentary lifestyle and lack of annual health screening was 83.2%,81.4%,70.3%,and 73.2%,respectively.Abnormal BMI was associated with low P scores,while lower socio-economic status,unawareness of self-blood pressure reading and those without family history of hypertension were associated with lower scores in K1,K,A,and P.K1,K,A and P are significantly inter-related.The main perceived barriers included self-proclaimed good fit status,frequent consumption of out-of-home food,and addiction to high salt/fat food.Conclusions:The national strategies for health management should be prioritized in reducing salt and fat,promoting annual health screening,physical activities and fibre intake in this age group.