title: Hypertension prevalence and care in an urban and rural area of Tanzania.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence, detection, treatment and control of hypertension in an urban and rural area of Tanzania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two linked cross-sectional population-based surveys.
  
  
  METHODS
  A middle-income urban district of Dar es Salaam (Ilala) and a village in the relatively prosperous rural area of Kilimanjaro (Shari).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred and seventy adults (> 15 years) in Ilala and 928 adults in Shari were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypertension prevalence (blood pressure > or = 140 and/or 90 mmHg, or known hypertensives receiving anti-hypertensive treatment) was 30% (95% confidence interval, 25.1-34.9%) in men and 28.6% (24.3-32.9%) in women in Ilala, and 32.2% (27.7-36.7%) in men and 31.5% (27.8-35.2%) in women in Shari. Age-standardized hypertension (to the New World Population) prevalence was 37.3% (32.2-42.5%) among men and 39.1% (34.2-44.0%) in women in Ilala, and 26.3% (22.4-30.4%) in men and 27.4% (24A-30.4%) in women in Shari. In both areas, just under 20% of hypertensive subjects were aware of their diagnosis, approximately 10% reported receiving treatment and less than 1% were controlled (blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg). Hypertensive subjects were older, had greater body mass indices and waist: hip ratios, and had more risk factors for hypertension and its complications (smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes) than non-hypertensives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high prevalence of hypertension in rural and urban areas of Tanzania, with low levels of detection, treatment and control. This demonstrates the need for cost-effective strategies for primary prevention, detection and treatment of hypertension and the growing public health challenge of non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, The Medical School, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. p.r.edwards@newcastle.ac.uk
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Unwin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mugusi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Whiting
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kissima
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Aspray
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Alberti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population