ASSOCIATION OF BODY MASS INDEX WITH BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG ADULT LIMBU MEN IN DARJEELING, WEST BENGAL

Arterial hypertension is reported to be associated with high body mass index (BMI). However, it is also interesting to find the association between BMI-based under nutrition and blood pressure. Objective of the present study was to estimate prevalence of BMI-based thinness and excess weight (overweight and obesity) and their differential association with hypertension among adult men representing Limbu community in Darjeeling, West Bengal. A cross-sectional study in Darjeeling District of West Bengal, India selected 897 adult men aged 20 to 59 years, representing Limbu community. Hypertension was estimated as: systolic/diastolic >= 140/90 mmHg. Binomial logistic regression (BLR) analysis was done to predict hypertension from thinness (BMI <18.50 kg/m(2)) and excess weight (BMI >= 25.0 kg/m(2)) after adjusting for age. Mean value of age of the participants (n = 897) was 3728 years. Hypertensive men had higher body weight (84.83 kg) and BMI (20.70 kg/m(2)) compared to normotensive peers (80.10 kg and 19.09 kg/m(2) respectively). Prevalence of thinness (11.59%), overweight (24.41%), and obesity (48.72) were remarkable in the sample; 48.49% of the participants were hypertensive. BLR Model 1 has shown that 1-unit (kg/m(2)) increasein BMI had a chance of 68% rise in odds of being hypertension (Model 1). An adult man suffering from BMI-based thinness compared to normal weight was 2.8 times more likely to have hypertension (Model 2). Adult men with excess weight (n = 656) compared to the peers having normal BMI (n = 137) were 3.45 times more likely to be hypertensive (Model 3). BMI-based malnutrition(under nutrition and excess weight) was observed to be a risk factor for hypertension that was higher in case of excess weight than thinness.