Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension and Its Associated Risk Factors: Results from Baseline Survey of SWADES Family Cohort Study

M D Saju; Komal Preet Allagh; Lorane Scaria; Shinto Joseph; Jotheeswaran Amuthavalli Thiyagarajan

doi:10.1155/2020/4964835

Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension and Its Associated Risk Factors: Results from Baseline Survey of SWADES Family Cohort Study

Int J Hypertens. 2020 Apr 13:2020:4964835. doi: 10.1155/2020/4964835. eCollection 2020.

Authors

M D Saju^{1

2}, Komal Preet Allagh³, Lorane Scaria^{1

2}, Shinto Joseph^{1

2}, Jotheeswaran Amuthavalli Thiyagarajan^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (Autonomous), Kochi, Kerala, India.
² Rajagiri International Centre for Consortium Research in Social Care (ICRS), Kochi, Kerala, India.
³ Independent Consultant, Kochi, Kerala, India.
⁴ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
⁵ Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Aging, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.

Abstract

Methods: In this prospective family-based cohort study, 573 families were included with a total of 997 participants aged 30 years and above. Baseline interviews were conducted in participant's homes using a combination of self-structured and standardized questionnaire. Blood pressure and plasma glucose were assessed for each participant.

Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 43%. It was slightly higher in women than men (43.7% vs. 41.4%). The mean systolic blood pressure in the hypertensive population was 141.9 mmHg and mean diastolic blood pressure was 85.3 mmHg. In total, 78% (86.2% in women, 62.9% in men) of the participants were aware of their hypertension. Among those aware, 60.4% (63.5% in women, 52.6% in men) of the participants were on treatment, and hypertension was controlled in 75.1% (77.5% women, 68% in men) of the participants on treatment. The prevalence of hypertension was higher among persons with comorbidities (diabetes 64.5%, transient ischemic attack 54.7%, and heart disease 64.4%). Prevalence was lower among persons who did regular vigorous intensity exercise versus those who did moderate intensity exercise (32% vs. 45.7%) and among nonsmokers versus smokers (42.2% vs. 46.6%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in Kerala is high. Although awareness is quite high, there is a need to improve the number of persons with hypertension taking treatment.