Abstract 151: Counterintuitive Trends in Obesity Prevalence and Abnormal Blood Pressures Among Adults in NAMCS-NHAMCS Data

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested by national data and popular media that prevalence of obesity and elevated Blood Pressure (BP) has increased in the United States over time. OBJECTIVE: To assess the trends in the prevalence of elevated BP and obesity in adult patients, and to quantify any correlation between them using national probability data sets. DESIGN/METHODS: An analysis of visit data for all patients 18 years and older included in the 2005-09 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey-Outpatient Department (OPD) was performed. BP data from 160,380 patient visits were analyzed, including adults seen in ambulatory or office-based settings (NAMCS, N=74,645) and hospital outpatient departments (OPD, N=85,735). Correlation between BP and BMI were calculated using the Pearson Correlation method. Results: Overall, the prevalence of hypertension decreased over time, while the prevalence of obesity increased. This data is represented in Table 1. Conclusions: This analysis suggests that while the prevalence of obesity may be increasing, the prevalence of elevated BP has actually decreased over time. This seemingly counter-intuitive finding may reflect improved BP control rates, despite obesity, which is suggested in contemporary NHANES data.