Is living in a gas-flaring host community associated with being hypertensive? Evidence from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

Background Researchers have linked gas flaring to climate change, the hastening of the epidemiological transition and an upsurge in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. We sought to determine if a relationship exists between residing in a gas-flaring host community and hypertension. Methods We conducted an analytical cross-sectional household survey among residents of 600 households in three gas-flaring and three non-gas-flaring host communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. We took geo-coordinates, administered a modified WHO-STEPS questionnaire and built on Android mobile phones using Open-Data-Kit (ODK) software. We also took biological measurements and carried out descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using SPSS and STATA. Results We interviewed a total of 912 adults: 437 (47.9%) from non-gas-flaring and 475 (52.1%) from gas-flaring host communities. There were differences in level of education (x2=42.99; p=0.00), occupation category (x2=25.42; p=0.00) and BMI category (x2=15.37; 0.003) among the two groups. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 23.7%: 20.7% among persons living in non-gas-flaring host communities compared with 25.3% among persons living in gas-flaring host communities (x2=2.89; p=0.89). Residence in a gas-flaring host community, (AdjOR=1.75; 95% CI=1.11 to 2.74) and mean age (AdjOR=1.05; 95% CI=1.03 to 1.07) were identified as the predictors of hypertension. There was a significant association between hypertension and age, 1.05 (1.04-1.06) while the probability of being hypertensive was higher among residents of gas-flaring host communities between 20 to 40 years and 60 to 80 years. Conclusion There is a need for the relevant agencies to scale up environmental and biological monitoring of air pollutants. The implication of a possible relationship between gas-flaring and hypertension brings to the fore the need for interventions to regulate gas-flaring activities.