Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract NACNDC/19JASH00028 (Poster) | Published: 11 Dec 2025
Nelson Wandira1,2,&, Francis Kyakulaga3,4,5, Naome Mwesigwa6, Sepiso Kenias Masenga2,7, Annet Kirabo2,6,8,9,10
1Busoga University Institute of Health Sciences P.O.BOX 154 Iganga Uganda, 2Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 3Uganda Development and Health Associates UDHA (Center for Community Engagement and Research) Uganda, 4Namutumba District Local Government, Department of Health, Uganda, 5Busitema University School of Graduate Studies, Uganda, 6Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 7Hand research group, Department of Pathology and Physiological Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mulungushi University, Livingstone, Zambia, 8Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 9Vanderbilt Center for Immunobiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 10Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
&Corresponding author: Nelson Wandira, Global Health Vanderbilt University; Busoga University Institute of Health Sciences P.O.BOX 154 Iganga Uganda, Email: wandiranelson@gmail.com ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9063-0324
Received: 19 Sep 2025, Accepted: 20 Oct 2025, Published: 11 Dec 2025
Domain: Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Social Support, Health Behaviors, Hypertension Risk, Rural Populations
©Nelson Wandira et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Nelson Wandira et al. Social support, health behaviours and hypertension risk among rural populations of Uganda. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc6):00028. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO6-00028
Hypertension disproportionately affects Black populations, with higher prevalence rates and greater severity compared to other ethnic groups. Rural populations are particularly vulnerable to hypertension and its effects due to increased levels of poverty, limited access to healthcare, and hindrances to individualized care and management. In these settings, social support and health behaviors play a crucial role in mitigating hypertension risk, as they can provide essential emotional, informational, and tangible assistance. Understanding the relationships between social support, health behaviors, and hypertension risk is critical for developing effective strategies to reduce hypertension disparities in rural Uganda.
This was a systematic review covering 71 studies published in the past 25 years across databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. We analyzed studies focusing on Black populations, including African and African American groups, to understand how social support influences health behaviours and hypertension outcomes. Data were synthesized using a narrative approach and thematic analysis to identify patterns, recurring themes, and intervention strategies.
The review revealed that social support is significantly associated with improved health behaviors and reduced hypertension risk among Black populations especially in rural settings. Stronger social support networks from family, friends, community and culturally tailored interventions like conversations, group discussions, singing and drama; may enhance adoption of health behaviors for example doing exercise, consuming health diets and adhering to medication resulting in improved hypertension management. Emotional support from family and friends is critical for hypertension management, while informational support from healthcare providers is essential for health behavior adoption.
In conclusion, our study shows that social support and positive health behaviors are powerful tools in preventing and managing hypertension. Strengthening these social systems through family, peers, and community health workers could substantially reduce hypertension risk in Uganda’s rural populations.
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