Objective: Prevention of mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) through control of hypertension is a public health priority in Bangladesh. Our objective was to assess sex differences in prevalence and determinants of hypertension among adults in one rural area of Bangladesh.
Study design: Cross-sectional.
Setting and participants: From January 2014 to December 2015, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 2600 men and women aged ≥18 years located in one rural district of Bangladesh. We collected data on demographics, behavioural factors, physical measurements and health history.
Primary outcome measures: Our primary outcome was hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg).
Results: The average age of participants was 41.6 years and 53.7% were women. Hypertension prevalence was 6.9% (95% CI 5.9 to 7.9), and was significantly higher among women (8.9%) than men (4.5%). The highest prevalence of hypertension was observed among women aged ≥60 years at 21.3% (95% CI 16.6 to 26.7). A higher proportion of men with hypertension were aware of their condition (72.2%) compared with women (52.4%). Determinants of hypertension included older age, higher education, current tobacco use, increasing body mass index, and hyperglycaemia.
Conclusion: Our research suggests that hypertension prevalence is higher among women than men in rural Bangladesh. Sex-specific interventions should be developed to inform adults of the necessary lifestyle changes that may reduce the risk of hypertension and subsequent CVDs.
Keywords: epidemiology; hypertension; public health.
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