Prevalence of hypertension and associated cardiometabolic risk factors in urban Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Background: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all-of them cause mortality. Out of the estimated 1.13 billion people who have hypertension, less than 1 in 5 people have it under control. Aim and Objectives: To study the prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors in the urban population of Rishikesh and the association of hypertension with other determinants. Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban area of Rishikesh. The World Health Organization (WHO) steps instrument and protocol was used for the assessment of risk factors and measurements. i.e. anthropometry and blood pressure. Sample size was calculated to be 478. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0. Appropriate statistical tests were done. A P value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of hypertension in urban Rishikesh is 32.4%. The prevalence in male and female is 34.5% and 31.3% respectively. Among hypertensives 45.8% had hypertriglyceridemia, 32.2% had low high-density lipoproteins (HDL), 52.25% had fasting blood glucose more than 100, and 55.4% were obese individuals. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that age, waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides level, and physical activity were independently associated with hypertension. Conclusions: As the prevalence of hypertension and cardiometabolic risk factors were higher, necessary health interventions were required to reduce the morbidity/mortality of the disease.