Blood Pressure Level and Hypertension Awareness and Control Differ by Marital Status, Sex, and Ethnicity: A Population-Based Study

• Published in: American journal of hypertension 2014-12, Vol.27 (12), p.1511-1520
• Main Authors: Abu-Saad, Kathleen, Chetrit, Angela, Eilat-Adar, Sigal, Alpert, Gershon, Atamna, Ahmed, Gillon-Keren, Michal, Rogowski, Ori, Ziv, Arnona, Kalter-Leibovici, Ofra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - physiology; Blood Pressure Determination - methods; Drug therapy; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - ethnology; Hypertension - physiopathology; Israel - epidemiology; Life Style; Male; Marital Status - ethnology; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance - methods; Population-based studies; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Risk Assessment - methods; Sex Factors; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors
• ISSN: 0895-7061; 1941-7225
• DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpu081

BACKGROUND Population-based studies about factors associated with blood pressure (BP) levels and hypertension awareness and control are lacking in Israel. We aimed to identify covariables of BP level (across the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7) categories) and hypertension awareness and control. METHODS Participants (n = 763; aged 25-74 years) were randomly selected from the population registry and stratified by sex, age, and ethnicity (Arab or Jewish). Sociodemographic, lifestyle, chronic morbidity, drug therapy, and measured anthropometric and BP data were collected. Hypertension was defined as physician diagnosis, antihypertension drug therapy, or systolic BP ≥140mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥90mm Hg. RESULTS Standardized hypertension prevalence was 32.5%. Age and body mass index were positively associated with being in a higher JNC-7 category. In multivariable analysis, the association between gender and JNC-7 category depended upon marital status. Of those with hypertension (n = 315), 66.0% were aware of their status, and 26.0% exhibited adequate BP control. Using "aware-and-controlled" as the outcome reference category, the odds ratio (OR) of being aware and uncontrolled was 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-2.9) for 10-year age increment. The OR of being unaware and uncontrolled was 5.6 (95% CI = 2.0-15.8) for Arabs vs. Jews, 5.6 (95% CI = 1.4-22.3) for single/divorced vs. married participants, 3.9 (95% CI = 1.7-9.2) for those with