Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and sodium intake in Zhejiang Province, China: A cross-sectional survey in 2017

BACKGROUND: In recent decades, hypertension has become a popular public health problem in China. In 2017, a cross-sectional survey about hypertension and sodium intake measured by 24-hour (24-h) urine was launched in Zhejiang Province, to provide the basis of the Chinese population to develop a salt reduction intervention and prevention of hypertension strategy. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 7512 participants aged 18 to 69 years in Zhejiang Province of China by complex, multistage sampling methods. The survey included face-to-face questionnaires and physical examination among all participants. Blood pressures and the use of anti-hypertension medications were used to determine hypertension. One thousand five hundred participants of them were asked to collect 24-h urine to measure sodium and potassium levels to assess intake. All rates and means were weighted by sampling weight and population structure of the province. RESULTS: The weighted means of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 127.78 mm Hg (95% confidence interval [CI], 127.21–128.36) and 79.40 mm Hg (95%CI, 79.04–79.76). The weighted hypertension prevalence was 30.41% (95%CI, 28.91–31.91). Among those classified as having hypertension, 43.55% (95%CI, 40.77–46.34) were aware of the fact that they were suffering from hypertension, 32.05% (95%CI, 29.49–34.61) of them reported taking anti-hypertension medications, only 14.48% (95%CI, 12.54–16.42) had their blood pressure controlled. The weighted means of 24-h urinary sodium was 165.52 mmol (standard deviation [SD], 2.92), representing that the mean intake of sodium chloride was 9.68g (SD, 0.17) through conversion. CONCLUSION: These cross-sectional survey results show that hypertension and excessive sodium intake in adults are prevalent in Zhejiang Province, China. Salt reduction and prevention of hypertension is still an urgent public health work.