Introduction Extensive cross-sectional evidence has demonstrated an association between psychological distress (PD) and hypertension. However, evidence on the temporal relationship is limited, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. The role of health risk behaviours including smoking and alcohol consumption in this relationship is also largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PD and later development of hypertension, and how this association may have been influenced by health risk behaviours, among adults in east Zimbabwe. Methods The analysis included 742 adults (aged 15–54 years) recruited by the Manicaland general population cohort study, who did not have hypertension at baseline in 2012–2013, and who were followed until 2018-2019. In 2012–2013, PD was measured using the Shona Symptom Questionnaire, a screening tool validated for use in Shona-speaking countries including Zimbabwe (cut-off point: 7). Smoking, alcohol consumption and use of drugs (health risk behaviours) were also self-reported. In 2018-2019, participants reported if they had diagnosed with hypertension by a doctor or nurse. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between PD and hypertension. Results In 2012, 10.4% of the participants had PD. The odds of new reports of hypertension were 2.04 times greater (95% CI 1.16 to 3.59) among those with PD at baseline, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health risk behaviour variables. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio, AOR 6.89, 95% CI 2.71 to 17.53), older age (AOR 2.67, 95% CI 1.63 to 4.42), and greater wealth (AOR 2.10, 95% CI 1.04 to 4.24 more wealthy, 2.88, 95% CI 1.24 to 6.67 most wealthy) were significant risk factors for hypertension. The AOR for the relationship between PD and hypertension did not differ substantially between models with and without health risk behaviours. Conclusion PD was associated with an increased risk of later reports of hypertension in the Manicaland cohort. Integrating mental health and hypertension services within primary healthcare may reduce the dual burden of these non-communicable diseases.

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Relationship between psychological distress, health behaviours and future reports of hypertension among adults in East Zimbabwe: a cohort study

Objective: Little is known about the temporal relationship between psychological distress (PD) and hypertension, especially in low-income countries. We assessed the association between PD and later development of hypertension among Zimbabwean adults, and the role of smoking, alcohol consumption and recreational drug use in this relationship. Design and method: Data were taken from the Manicaland Study, an open cohort study in east Zimbabwe. Participants aged 15–54 were surveyed in 2012/2013 and followed-up in 2018/19. At baseline, PD was assessed using the Shona Symptom Questionnaire, a screening tool developed and validated in Shona-speaking countries. Participants self-reported whether they were currently: smokers; took drugs for pleasure; or regularly visited bars and/or consumed over three alcoholic drinks per sitting. At baseline and follow-up, participants reported whether they had ever been diagnosed with hypertension by a doctor/nurse. We selected individuals who did not report hypertension at baseline and used logistic regression to examine associations between baseline PD and hypertension at follow-up, controlling for sociodemographic and economic confounders. We also explored the effect of including binary variables capturing smoking status, drug use and alcohol consumption in the model. Results: 742 participants who completed baseline and follow-up surveys, were not hypertensive at baseline, and had full covariate data, were included. At baseline, 10.4% of these had PD, and at follow-up 17.5% (overall) had developed hypertension. The odds of developing hypertension were 2.01 (95% Confidence Interval = 1.14–3.54) times higher among those with PD at baseline, after adjustment for sociodemographic and economic confounders (Table 1). Introducing smoking status, drug use and alcohol consumption into the model had little effect on our findings (adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR:2.04, 1.16–3.59) and we had little evidence that these behaviours were independently associated with hypertension (aORs:smoking:1.41, 0.40–4.98; alcohol consumption:1.49, 0.61–3.66; drug use:0.49, 0.14–1.75). Conclusions: PD was associated with increased odds of developing hypertension in Manicaland. However, we did not find strong evidence that smoking status, drug use and alcohol consumption contributed to this relationship, which may reflect the low prevalence of these behaviours in our study. The results suggest mental health interventions may be beneficial for reducing hypertension in Zimbabwe.

Association between psychological distress and later reports of hypertension among adults in east zimbabwe

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Relationship between psychological distress, health behaviours and future reports of hypertension among adults in East Zimbabwe: a cohort study

Association between psychological distress and later reports of hypertension among adults in east zimbabwe