22 HYPERTENSION AND OTHER CHRONIC DISEASE RISK FACTORS AMONG INDIGENOUS YOUNG PEOPLE. AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PREVENTIVE ACTION

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Background: The burden of chronic disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations is well documented (1, 2, 3). This study retrospectively examines the prevalence of hypertension and other chronic disease risk factors in a sample of 1883 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15-24 years that attended for a Young Person Check in 15 remote communities in far north Queensland between March 2009 and April 2011. Methods: Data relating to the prevalence of pre-hypertension, stage I hypertension, stage II hypertension, obesity, increased waist circumference, non-fasting blood sugar levels, non-fasting lipid profiles, proteinuria and albuminuria were analysed. Results: Overall the prevalence of pre-hypertension was 34.0%, stage I hypertension was 17.7% and stage II hypertension was 3.3%. The prevalence of elevated waist circumference was 47.6%, overweight or obesity 45.9%, elevated triglycerides 18.3%, decreased HDL 54.8% and proteinuria 24.3%. The prevalence of hypertension (stage I or II) among Torres Strait Islander males was 34.1%, Aboriginal males 26.9%, Aboriginal females 13.0% and Torres Strait Islander females 12.6%. The difference in hypertension prevalence between the genders was statistically significant.(p = 0.000 for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders) Conclusion: The study indicates that many remote living Indigenous youth are already on the trajectory towards chronic disease. Consequently, primary preventive activity directed at addressing the causes of chronic disease including overweight and obesity should be directed at children, their families and the environment in which the population lives. Screening for hypertension and other risk factors should commence by adolescence. References Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare), The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Canberra, 2010 Wang Z, Knight S, Wilson A, Rowley K G, Best J D, McDermott R, Leonard D, Shaw JE and O’Dea K. Blood pressure and hypertension for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation 2006;13:438-443 Miller G, McDermott R, McCulloch B, Leonard D, Arabena K, Muller R. The Well Person's Health Check: a population screening program in Indigenous communities in north Queensland. Australian Health Review 2002;25(6):136-147.