Undiagnosed hypertension and its correlates among adults attending urban and rural health training centers in a South Indian district

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, many people with high blood pressure are not aware of their disease. Those who are diagnosed to have elevated hypertension may not have access to treatment. It contributes to the high burden of heart diseases, kidney failure stroke, and premature mortality and disability. The objective of this study is to estimate the burden of undiagnosed hypertension and to describe the factors associated with it among adults attending outpatient department of an urban and rural health centers in a South Indian district. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done among 539 outpatient adults of rural and urban health centers in a South Indian district during May-December 2021 recruited through consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a pretested semistructured questionnaire. Variables significant in univariate analysis were further analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: One-hundred and ninety-nine ( 36.9%) out of 539 participants had undiagnosed hypertension. Multivariate analysis showed the following risk factors as significantly associated with undiagnosed hypertension (age more than 50 (AOR = 5.936, 95% CI = 3.787-9.304), adults with a family history of hypertension (AOR = 1.826, 95% CI = 1.139-2.929), participants without physical activity (AOR = 1.648, 95% CI = 1.089-2.496), and participants from urban area (AOR = 1.837, 95% CI = 1.132-2.982)). CONCLUSION: A high burden of undiagnosed hypertension was identified emphasizing the need for strict implementation and monitoring of health promotion, awareness generation, and promotion of healthy lifestyle strategies proposed by the government.