Prevalence of Prehypertension in Adult population of Rural Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Prehypertension and hypertension were related with many complications of nearly every organ, but often neglected by young adults in rural area. This research was done to observe the prevalence of prehypertension among young adult in a rural area of Andhra Pradesh(AP). Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in rural areas of Andhra pradesh, India. 1624 subjects were consecutively recruited and surveyed during January 2011 – November 2012 and were aged between 18–35 years old. They were interviewed about their age, gender, physical activity, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, and family history and examined for weight, height, body mass index [BMI], systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results: From 1624 young adults, 30.1% had prehypertension and 7.75% had hypertension (p < 0.05). Within sex groups, the prevalence of prehypertension was higher in males. BMI was associated with prehypertension. Conclusion: Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension were relatively high among young adults in rural areas of AP, India. Intervention to prevent further complications needs to be done early with lifestyle modification because blood pressure is associated with modifiable risk factors, such as BMI and total activity.