Association between war-related traumatic events and blood pressure trajectory

A population-based study among the mid-aged and older Palestinian adults living in Gaza

Bibliographic Data

ID22070943
AuthorsMajed Jebril (Xi'an Jiaotong University), Mohsen Mazidi (0000-0003-3059-229X, King's College London), Xin Liu (0000-0001-5207-1685, Xi'an Jiaotong University), Baibing Mi (0000-0002-5208-7633, Xi'an Jiaotong University), Mi Baibing, Heba Arafat (0000-0003-2710-5673, Al-Azhar University – Gaza), Zumin Shi (0000-0002-3099-3299, Qatar University, corresponding author), Youfa Wang (0000-0002-6041-6011, Xi'an Jiaotong University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume11
Pages1073284-1073284
Publication date2023-06-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2023.1073284
PMID37397782
OpenAlexW4380997487
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

Background: Little is known regarding health status in an environment characterized by instability and ongoing war risks. This study investigated hypertension disease burden and associations of war-related traumatic events with blood pressure (BP) trajectory over time amongst mid-aged and older Palestinian adults in Gaza Strip. Methods: From nine primary healthcare centers, medical records between 2013 and 2019 were collected for 1,000 mid-aged and older Palestinian adults living in Gaza. Multinomial logistic regression analysis examined associations between war-related traumatic events and BP trajectories derived using latent class trajectory analysis (LCTA). Results: The prevalence of self-reported injury (of participants or their family members), death of a family member, and violence due to house bombing was 51.4%, 54.1%, and 66.5%, respectively. In total, 22.4% and 21.4% of participants had constant-very-high (CVH) systolic BP (SBP) (>160 mmHg) and diastolic BP (DBP) (>95 mmHg), and normal-stable SBP and DBP was found only 54.9% and 52.6%, respectively. Injury (participants or family members), death of a family member, and violence due to house bombing during wars were associated with CVH SBP with odds ratios [95 CI, OR = 1.79 (1.28-2.48), 1.90 (1.36-2.65), and 1.44 (1.01-2.05)], respectively. The corresponding figures were [95 CI, OR = 1.92 (1.36-2.71), 1.90 (1.35-2.68), and 1.62 (1.13-2.38)] for CVH DBP. Living in debt was positively associated with CVH SBP, [95 CI, OR = 2.49 (1.73-3.60)] and CVH DBP, [95 CI, OR = 2.37 (1.63-3.45)]. Conclusion: The disease burden related to war-related traumatic events is high and positively related to adverse BP trajectory among the mid-aged and older Palestinians living in Gaza. Intervention programs are needed to manage and prevent chronic diseases in this vulnerable population

Blood pressure · Civilian population · Political science · Demography · Health and Conflict Studies · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Gerontology · Internal Medicine