Aging and obesity are associated with undiagnosed hypertension in a cohort of males in the Central Province of Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional descriptive study

Abstract

BackgroundLifestyle factors associated with hypertension (HT) in South Asian populations are relatively unknown. The objective of the current study was to investigate the prevalence rates of undiagnosed HT and factors associated with it in a cohort of males from the Central Province of Sri Lanka.MethodsThe study group consisted of 2462 males (mean age 31 years, range: 16–72 years) who underwent a routine medical examination at the National Transport Medical Institute, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Participants with previously diagnosed heart disease, diabetes, hypertension or other chronic illnesses were excluded from this study. Dietary and other lifestyle factors were studied using validated self-administered questionnaires. Body Mass Index (BMI) cut-off values for Asians were used to categorize the subjects according to weight status. The association of individual dietary and lifestyle patterns with HT was assessed by fitting into binary logistic regression models.ResultsThe mean systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) of the individuals were 125.9 mmHg and 80.5 mmHg, respectively. The prevalence rate of undiagnosed HT was 31.7%. Both SBP and DBP showed significant positive correlations with age, weight, BMI and waist circumference. After adjusting for potential confounders, HT was associated with older age (p = 0.001) and increased weight status (p < 0.001) with trends of association for level of education (p = 0.058). Level of income, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, smoking, physical activity level, ethnic difference, consumption of fruits, fish, meat, dairy, sweets or fried snacks were not significantly associated with HT. Obese males were 92.1% [odds ratio: 1.9 (1.4–2.7)] more likely to be hypertensive compared to normal weight males.ConclusionsUndiagnosed HT is prevalent at an alarming rate among adult males in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its association with age and BMI (weight status) highlights the importance of routine screening for HT as well as interventions targeted at reducing obesity to curb the rise of this modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Assessment of Nutritional Status and Dietary Pattern of a Rural Adult Population in Dry Zone, Sri Lanka

“…Another study [51] reported a 20.1% and 35.9% prevalence of obesity among men and women, respectively, which is much higher than our current findings. The prevalence of obesity among men in the Central province (12.3%) [46] and Kaluthara district (9.2%) [45] was also higher than our findings. However, Jayatissa et al [52] reported an obesity prevalence (15.2%) among women similar to the current study.…”

“…The mean (SD) BMI of the total study population was 23.06 (4.2) kg/m 2 , which is similar to the average BMI reported by Ranasinghe et al (23.8 [4.2] kg/m 2 ) [28], but higher than the mean BMI observed in a national survey (21.8 [4.2] kg/m 2 ) [44] and in the Kaluthara district (22.9 [0.28] kg/m 2 ) for adults [45]. The mean BMI for men in the present study is similar to the average BMI for men reported using national (21.1 [3.7] kg/m 2 ) [8], provincial (Central Province, 22.7 [4.2] kg/m 2 [46]; four provinces, 21.5 [3.7] kg/m 2 [47]) and district (Colombo district, 22.8 [4.3] kg/m 2 [48]; Kaluthara district, 21.9 [0.46] kg/m 2 [45]) populations. Rathnayake et al [49] reported a higher average BMI for adult women than in our present study; conversely, the average BMI for women reported by Katulanda et al [8] (22.7 [4.5] kg/m 2 ) was lower than the current study.…”

“…Four categories of adults were identified in this study, based on general obesity using the BMI cut-off values for Asians; hence, studies that used the same definitions were selected for comparison. Nearly 37% of men in the current study were overweight, which is higher than previous findings of 27.4%, 31.8% and 22.6% by De Silva et al [45], Jayawardene et al [46] and Katulanda et al [8], respectively. Conversely, the proportion of overweight women in the current study was less than the findings of De Silva et al (38.7%) [45], but higher than the findings of Jayawardene et al (20.2%) [51], Katulanda et al (28%) [8] and Jayatissa et al (28.7%) [52].…”

“…Hence, proxy measures of abdominal fat, such as WC, WHR and WHtR, were used in this study to assess the central fat distribution. The assessment of CO by WC is the most commonly used criterion in many studies in Sri Lanka, and the 31.6% and 72% prevalence of CO by WC among men and women, respectively, in the current study were much higher than previous findings [45,46,48,51,53]. For instance, Katulanda et al [8] reported a 16.5% and 36.3% prevalence of abdominal obesity among men and women, respectively.…”

The SOCIO-Demography AND patients’ knowledge, attitudes and practice with regards to hypertension among a group of female hypertensiveS followed up in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka

“…Hypertension in general is defined as systolic blood pressure above 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure above 90mmHg (1)(2)(3)(4) and it is a highly prevalent cardiovascular risk factor which if uncontrolled leads to devastating complications including myocardial infarction, strokes, chronic kidney disease and peripheral vascular disease (5). Prevalence of hypertension among adult females in United States is 28.1% (6) and it is more than a quarter of the entire population and it is expected to increase by 13% between 2000 and 2025 (7) making it a major contributing factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of mortality among females (8,9) .…”