Dietary patterns and hypertension among Nigerian adults: implications for nutritional policy and prevention

Background Hypertension is a major public health concern, with prevalence rates increasing steadily over the past decades. Despite its growing impact, it often remains undiagnosed and poorly controlled mostly among adults in LMICs. Globally, dietary pattern analysis has provided deeper insights into the complex relationship between diet and hypertension, but such research is still limited in the Nigerian context without adequate understanding of how local dietary patterns contribute to hypertension. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of hypertension among Nigerian adults. Methods and study designs A total of 608 adults were included in this cross-sectional study (males = 356; females = 252). Demographic, lifestyle, dietary habit, anthropometric and dietary information were collected using a well-structured and validated questionnaire. Blood pressure measurements were obtained using standardized procedures and are categorized using WHO recommendation. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns and prevalence ratio (PR) between dietary pattern and hypertension were calculated using Robust Poisson Regression Results The prevalence of hypertension among adults was 23.2%, (29.8% among men and 16.7% among women). Four major dietary patterns were identified; diversified pattern; typical traditional pattern; fruits and vegetables pattern; and fats and soft drinks pattern. Participants in the highest quartiles of typical traditional pattern had higher risk of developing hypertension compared to participants in lowest quartiles (PR = 2.274, 95%CI: 1.479 ~ 3.496, p = < 0.001). Compared with participants in the highest quartiles of fish and vegetable pattern, we observed a lower risk of developing hypertension (PR = 0.476, 95% CI: 0.300 ~ 0.754, p = 0.002). Conclusion Typical traditional food pattern was associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension, but a fruit and vegetables food pattern was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension. Better nutritional policy may encourage better eating pattern, which might lower or minimize hypertension in our population.