Undiagnosed elevated blood pressure and its life style related risk factors among adults: Cross sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Globally, high blood pressure (BP) is a main health problem among adult population. High BP is considered as a major risk factor which may lead to many cardiovascular diseases. Globally, it is also the leading cause of death. According to the American Heart Association, a BP of 120/80 mm of Hg is a normal range but when the systolic blood pressure ≥130 and diastolic blood pressure ≥80, it is always labeled as hypertension. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, the researchers wanted to identify the prevalence of undiagnosed elevated blood pressure in the adult population of Uttarakhand, India and also try to explore its lifestyle-related risk factors. METHODS: This study was an exploratory survey with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 440 participants by using the cluster sampling technique. RESULTS: The male:female ratio among participants was 1:4 and most of the participants were aged 25–30 years. The study found that the prevalence of high blood pressure was 26%, in which marginal elevated BP prevalence was 16%, hypertension stage I was 7%, and hypertension Stage II was 3% which is significantly higher in number at a young age. Lifestyle-related risk factors showed a significant association of hypertensive status with gender, consumption of balanced diet, and personal habits. This increases the chances of elevated blood pressure in young adults. CONCLUSION: All health professionals must be sensitized for elevated blood pressure problems among the young adult populations. Elevated blood pressure should be considered as a warning alarm at an early age when prescribing any medication and during any invasive procedure. Awareness should be created among public regarding elevated blood pressure issues at a younger age and motivate people to adopt a healthy and stress-free lifestyle.