Prevalence and predictors of adult hypertension in an urban eastern Indian population

Objective To determine the prevalence of hypertension and to identify predictors of adult hypertension specifically in an underdeveloped urban region of eastern India. Study design Population-based cross-sectional study, with multi-stage random sampling technique. Settings A main urban city located in South Orissa in eastern India. Participants 1178 adults 20–80 years of age randomly selected from 37 electoral wards of an urban locale. Statistical methods Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results The prevalence of hypertension was 36%. Significant predictors of hypertension were age, central obesity, inadequate fruit intake, diabetes, low high-density lipoprotein level and physical inactivity. Conclusions One-third of the adults in this urban population of eastern India are reported to be hypertensive and the classical risk factors have been found to contribute to the increased burden, which reinforces the importance of preventive cardiovascular interventions in tackling this burden.