A Study on Prevalence of Pre - Hypertension among Adult population in a Rural area of Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India

To study the prevalence of pre-hypertension and the modifiable risk factors such as increased BMI and increased weight circumference that are associated risk factors of pre - hypertension among adult population in rural Sripuram area of Kancheepuram district. A descriptive cross - sectional study involving 302 adults residing in Sripuram rural area. A structured peer reviewed questionnaire was used to collect data regarding demographic characteristics and blood pressure measurement along with BMI and waist circumference. The frequencies were calculated for all the parameters and prevalence of pre hypertension was expressed in percentage with 95% confidence limits using SPSS (version 15) software. The prevalence of pre hypertension and hypertension among adults was found to be 26.8% and 11.3% respectively. The prevalence of adults having an increased BMI (overweight, obese, very obese) was 33.8% and increased waist circumference was found to be 11.6%. The prevalence of pre - hypertension among adults in Sripuram rural area was found to be high. Early detection of pre - hypertension by periodic screening is essential and counselling on healthy lifestyle modification by health care professionals will prevent progression of pre - hypertension to hypertension and further cardiovascular complications.