Abstract P338: ASSOCIATION OF HYPERTENSION AND FOOD INSECURITY WITH DIETARY SODIUM AND POTASSIUM IN ADULTS

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Food insecurity (FIS), the lack of consistent access to nutritious food is a risk factor for HTN and leads to poorer health outcomes. Although studies show a higher prevalence of HTN in patients living with FIS, there is limited data exploring the underlying mechanism. Using dietary recall data, we sought to evaluate the relationship between HTN and FIS. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 16,703 adults aged between 18 and 65 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2011 and 2018. We excluded pregnant participants. We examined the association between FIS, HTN, and dietary sodium and potassium levels using univariate and multivariate analysis. Adults who reported FIS were more likely to have HTN (aOR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.02-1.46, p=0.029). Non-Hispanic Blacks participants were more likely to have HTN than Non-Hispanic Whites (aOR=1.74, 95% CI: 1.54-1.96, p<0.001) while Hispanic participants were more likely to have lower BP (aOR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.94, p=0.007). The prevalence of FIS was higher among Non-Hispanic Black (28.8%) (aOR= 1.28, 95% CI= 1.02-1.61, p<0.01) and Hispanic participants (33.5%) (aOR= 1.67, 95% CI= 1.33-2.09, p<0.01) compared to Non-Hispanic White. Individuals living in food-insecure households had a higher prevalence of obesity (23.7%) compared to adults who lived in food secure households. (18.4% for normal weight and 17.9% for overweight; p < 0.01). The prevalence of hypertension increased with age, peaking in the 60-65 age group (p<0.001). Individuals who reported FIS had a significantly lower mean intake of sodium (3.57 ± 0.04 gm) and potassium (2.5 ± 0.03 gm) compared to individuals living in food secure households (3.69 ± 0.02 gm and 2.74 ± 0.02 gm, respectively; p < 0.01 for both). We found that for every 1 gm increase in dietary sodium, the odds of HTN increased by 1% (p<0.01). For every 1 gm increase in dietary potassium the odds of HTN decreased by 9% and the odds of living in a food insecure household decreased by 16%. Adults with a lower dietary potassium intake were more likely to report FIS and have HTN. Increasing assess to healthy foods, particularly foods rich in sources of potassium, for individuals living with FIS, may reduce the prevalence of HTN and lead to better cardiovascular outcomes.