the statistical model of effects of weight on thirty

    CHAPTER ONE

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

          The
number of people with high blood pressure is in the increase and research has
shown that this condition is hightened by overweight of the patient. That is to
say, the more one increases in weight, the higher the tendency of him or her
becoming hypertensive. Mori TA (2007).

          In
essence, there is a symbolic relationship between being over-weight and being
hypertensive or having high blood pressure. It is in the interest of people who
are likely to develop high blood pressure (over-weight people) to seek out ways
of managing their weight, as this research work will try to bring out the
effects of weight on such people with high blood pressure. What seems
unresolved here is the extent to which weight affect people suffering from high
blood pressure. Many writers’ views will be examined in the cause of this work
to help resolve the issue at stake.

          Over-weight
here will be described or rather defined based on a calculation called “Body
mass index” (BMI). According to this formular, one is regarded as over-weight
if his BMI is greater than 25. Mancia G. (2007). High  blood pressure on the other hand occurs when
one’s blood move through the arteries at a higher speed than normal. It is also
known that for now there is no cure for high blood pressure. Papadakis A,
Macphere J. (2008).

          The
seriousness of this adult illness (high blood pressure) is not just that it can
lead to more serious illness or complications, raises the risk of stroke,
kidney failure, heart disease and heart attack. The matter is made worse with
the existence of too much weight or fat in the body as this tends to make the
condition severe.

          It
is the duty of stakeholders in health sectors to keep the adult folk aware of
the implication of over-weight by providing them with accurate, timely and up
to date information regarding this health condition. It is also the duty of
health personnel to warn and educate adults who are more prone to high blood
pressure, about the dangers of over-weight in the management of high blood
pressure. This awareness is expected to affect the feeding habit of these
people, since it has been observed that poor feeding (that is, poor combination
of the classes of food, not necessarily the quantity) is one of the causes of
over-weight. Sacks F.M (2008).

          Statistics
have it that between the years 2000 and 2008, there has been about fourty
percent (40%) increase in the number of people having high blood pressure.
Manson J (2009). Another statistics show that in 2005, sixty percent (60%) of
people suffering from high blood pressure were suffering also from kidney failure
and heart disease, and that high blood pressure was identified as the remote
cause of the disease that later led to the death of a greater percentage of the
patients. Manson J. (2009).

It is believed in many quarters that
some of the findings above and many more are the reasons for the recent step-up
in action in the area of high blood pressure management. Hence, many Nigerians
knowing the cost of managing such diseases that tends to originate from high
blood pressure hightened by over-weight, seem to have woken to the call on
“healthy and fit”.

          This
research therefore, would not have been more timely than this. As a matter of
fact, it is this situation on ground that necessitated this research work.

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

-This project work is aimed at
investigating whether there is a relationship between weight and blood pressure
of patients with high blood pressure.

- To estimate the regression model between
the variables based on the sample collected.