Association of hypertension with overweight and obesity among adults in Rangpur region of Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study

Background: Hypertension is a major public health concern in both developing and developed countries. However, there is a lack of hypertension research at the local level, particularly in the Rangpur region of Bangladesh. Aim: The study aims to estimate the prevalence of hypertension as well as the specific association of hypertension with overweight and obesity among adults in the Rangpur region of Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Rangpur division of Bangladesh from July to September 2021. A total of 1302 individual data were collected by the simple random sampling method. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with hypertension. To show the strength of association, both the unadjusted Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) were reported with a 95 % confidence interval (CI). Results: The overall prevalence of hypertension, overweight, and obesity in the sample population were 23.0 %, 40.6 %, and 7.0 %, respectively. The study identified a significant association between hypertension and overweight and obesity (p-value <0.001). Overweight adults had a 61 % higher risk of hypertension (AOR: 1.61; 95 % CI: 1.22-2.14), while the risk was 2.35 times higher for obese individuals (AOR: 2.35; 95 % CI: 1.43-3.87), compared to those with normal weight. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of hypertension in the study area, immediate public health initiatives are imperative. It is crucial to prioritize overweight and obesity as key factors in designing effective interventions for hypertension prevention and control.