Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of population-wide hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia has not been well studied in the pasture area of Xinjiang. The present epidemiological study was performed to determine the prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia in minority populations from the pasture area of Xinjiang and to discuss the potential risk factors for hypertension.MethodsA population-based, cross-sectional study in the Xinjiang pasture area was performed which included 2251 participants aged over 30 years (90.33% participation rate) of whom 71.26% were Kazaks. Several risk factors were considered: hypertension (defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure or both of at least 140/90 mmHg measured on one occasion or treatment for hypertension) overweight/obesity (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) alcohol intake, smoking/tobacco use and dyslipidemia. Outcomes were prevalence of hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia and the associated risk factors of hypertension detected by multivariate logistic regression analysis taking into account various metabolic and lifestyle characteristics.ResultsThe prevalence of hypertension, overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia in all participants from the pasture area of Xinjiang was 51.9%, 47.9% and 49.2% respectively. Independently, the prevalence and awareness of hypertension was 52.6% and 15.3% among Kazaks (n = 1604), 54.6% and 14.1% among Uygurs (n = 418), 39.5% and 16.1% among Mongolians (n = 81) and 43.9% and 18.2% among non-Xinjiang-born Han immigrants (n = 148). The prevalence of overweight/obesity in Kazaks, Uygurs, Mongolians and Han immigrants was 46.7%, 48.9%, 62.5% and 50.3%, respectively. The prevalence of dyslipidemia in the four ethnic groups mentioned was 53.5%, 34.8%, 49.3% and 47.3%, respectively. The mean blood pressure in all participants was 136/86 mmHg (pre-hypertensive), the mean BMI was 24.7 kg/m2. Based on multiple logistic regression analysis, the significant risk factors for hypertension were age [1.07(1.06-1.09), P < 0.0001], overweight/obesity [overweight: 1.61(1.22-2.13), p = 0.0007; obesity: 1.95 (1.33-2.87), p = 0.0007], hypercholesterolemia [1.30(1.15-1.47), p < 0.0001] and an alcohol intake of over 30 g/day [2.22(1.43-3.45), p = 0.0004].ConclusionsThe considerably high prevalence of hypertension, overweight/obesity and dyslipidemia among the minority population aged over 30 from the pasture area of Xinjiang calls for effective preventive measures. Age, increased body mass index, hypercholesterolemia and ≥30 g/d alcohol intake can be counted as risk factors for hypertension, but further genetic or environmental clarification would be desirable to explain the unusually high prevalence of the conditions mentioned above.
Highlights
The prevalence of population-wide hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia has not been well studied in the pasture area of Xinjiang
Within Kazaks, similar factors were detected associating with hypertension as dependent variables: age (OR [95% CI]:1.08 [1.06-1.09], P < 0.0001), total cholesterol (1.38 [1.17-1.64], P = 0.0002), Body mass index (BMI) (1.06 [1.02-1.10], P = 0.0048), and more than 30 g alcohol intake per day (4.04 [1.03-15.89], P = 0.0455)
Comparison of blood pressure related variables, metabolic and lifestyle characteristics between Kazaks and the other ethnic groups According to the results showed in Table 1, statistically significant differences were detected in most variables between the four different ethnic groups, except for sex and age
Summary
The prevalence of population-wide hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia has not been well studied in the pasture area of Xinjiang. Uygurs and Mongolians are the major minorities in Xinjiang–the northwest of China Their main employment is that of herdsmen or peasants in the pasture area. The main nomad ethnic group in the pasture area of Xinjiang, have been reported to have a higher prevalence of hypertension [7], while obesity is common in Uygurs and Mongolians [8]. It is known that alcohol, salty food and meat are traditionally popular among these minorities This disposition is greatly related to the cold weather in Xinjiang. As nomad minorities usually live far from large city centres and move around within the pasture area, large-scale population-based investigations on hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia are still sparse and the true prevalence among these ethnic groups is not fully known
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
