Abstract:
OBJECTIVE : To investigate whether high blood pressure was associated with living close to a mine dump among the
elderly in South Africa.
STUDY DESIGN : This was a cross-sectional study conducted among the elderly in communities 1–2 km (exposed) and
5 km or more (unexposed), from five pre-selected mine dumps in Gauteng and North West provinces of South
Africa.
METHODS : Structured interviews were conducted with 2397 elderly, using a previously validated ATS-DLD-78
questionnaire from the British Medical Research Council.
RESULTS : The prevalence of high blood pressure was 57.51% in the exposed and 46.66% in the unexposed communities,
respectively. Results from the multiple logistic regression analysis showed that having high blood
pressure was significantly associated with living in exposed communities (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 2.41–3.83, P <
0.001). Other significant risk factors were being an previous and current tobacco smoker, age group, tertiary
level of educational attainment, and having a history of occupational exposure to dust and chemical fumes.
CONCLUSION : The findings of this study suggest that there are high levels of blood pressure among the elderly
residing in communities located near mine dumps in South Africa.
