Factors affecting blood pressure control in women aged 15-49

Background: While 25% of adult women in the world are hypertensive, the percentage of women who cannot achieve blood pressure control despite taking medication is 55.9 +/- 1.5%. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and control rate of hypertension and to detect the factors affecting this situation in women in the 15-49 age group.Material and methods: Seven hundred women in the 15-49 age group were selected and a questionnaire was ap-plied. Height, weight, and blood pressure were measured and spot urines were collected on the same day. 24-hour sodium excretion and daily salt intake were calculated using the Kawasaki method.Results: While 14.3% of the women were hypertensive, only 19% of them were able to achieve blood pressure control. Fifty-eight percent of the hypertensive women use more than 15 g/day of salt and the estimated 24-hour urinary sodium excretion of these women was 311.6 +/- 39.5 mmol/L. Hypertensive women using less than 5 g/day of salt were 0.3%. Salty foods consumed by the hypertensive women were pickles (55.6%), cheese (92.6%), olives (88.8%), vine leaves (71.6%), sujuk and Turkish pastrami (47.6%), and tomato paste (100%).Conclusions: In our study, participants were consuming large amounts of salt and there was a positive correlation between salt intake and blood pressure. Therefore, all efforts for sodium restriction are very important in the man-agement of hypertension.