Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Determinants among Rural Adult Population of Bikaner, Rajasthan

Abstract

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming the major causes of morbidity and mortality in India. 53% mortality in India is due to NCDs. Among NCDs, hypertension is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease death in India and is an emerging public health problem in India. A high prevalence of hypertension has been associated with higher cardiovascular risk. The diversity and heterogeneity of distribution of the population make it difficult to arrive at the precise prevalence. Now, it is found that prevalence of hypertension also increasing in rural population. The present study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of hypertension among rural adults and to identify the factors associated with hypertension. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in the field practice area of Community Medicine Department. Pre-tested structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The sample size was 645 adults considered for the study. May 2013 to October 2013 was study period. Microsoft excel and Chi-square test were used. Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension was found to be 28.53%. The prevalence among males was 29.45% and among female was 27.59%. Age, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, salt-intake, smoking, alcoholism, and parental history were found to be significantly associated with hypertension. Conclusion: Hypertension is prevalent in rural areas; so, there is an urgent need of a program for rural adults to deal with the emerging problem.