Social participation and the onset of hypertension among the middle-aged and older population: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

AimWhile previous studies have examined the association between health-related behaviors and hypertension, comparatively little attention has been paid to the role of social participation (i.e. participating in community organizations). The aim of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal association between social participation and hypertension among the middle-aged and older population (aged 45years) in China where the prevalence of hypertension has been increasing rapidly in the past few decades. MethodsData came from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study waves 2011 and 2013. Information was obtained from 5483 participants on blood pressure, social participation and covariates. A sex-stratified Poisson regression model with a robust variance estimator was used to examine the associations. ResultsDuring the period between 2011 and 2013, 20.6% of men and 17.2% of women developed hypertension. A Poisson regression model showed that participating in community organizations once a week or more frequently was inversely associated with the onset of hypertension in women (incidence rate ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.67-0.95, P=0.012). Among men, no such association was found. ConclusionThe present study suggests that promoting social participation might help mitigate the disease burden associated with hypertension in China, particularly among women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1093-1099.