- Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2013) Volume 3, Issue 21

Prevalence of Hypertension and its Determinants in an Urban Area of Uttarakhand

Hypertension is the most frequent cardiovascular disease and is assuming epidemic proportions in developing countries as well. It affects nearly 26.4% of the population worldwide. Prevalence of hypertension in India, for the last three decades has increased by about 30 times among urban residents and by about 10 times among rural residents. In this regard a study was conducted in an urban area namely Rishikesh of Dehradun district in between Dec. 2008 to May 2009. The purpose of this study was to know the prevalence of hypertension in Rishikesh and also to find out the associated risk factors with hypertension in this area. For this voter list was used as sampling frame and persons aged 30 years and above were shortlisted. A total of 327 volunteers were included in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to gather information about the prevalence of hypertension. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure more than 140/90 mm Hg. Prevalence of hypertension was presented in percentage, and association of risk factors was done by using Chi square test. A p value < 0.05 have been considered statistically significant. The overall prevalence of hypertension in Rishikesh was 38.5%. Age, educational status, economicstatus, physical activity, alcohol consumption and body mass index were found significantly associated with hypertension. Thus, both prevalence and risk factor studies are needed to estimate the prevalence of hypertension as well as get at specific risk factors for Indian Population. Such studies will help in setting the baseline by which the risk factor can be ranked and specific control strategies planned to promote health of the middle age and elderly population.

Author(s): Pooja, Yashoda Mittal

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