High blood pressure in urban Moroccan Sahraoui women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the associated risk factors of hypertension and the relationship between blood pressure and three anthropometric measurements for obesity (body mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio) in women of the Sahraoui ethnic group.


METHODS
Data were collected from a randomized sample (n = 239) of adult women aged 20 years and older, nonpregnant, who visited the public health centers during the immunization campaign of Laayoune city in South Morocco. Only individuals identified as of Sahraoui origin were eligible for this investigation. Body weight, height, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides and physical activity were measured.


RESULTS
The results show that high blood pressure (> 130/85 mmHg) was detected in 29.8%. All hypertensive women were at high risk of hyperglycemia (22.1% were hyperglycemic, among which 11.8% were diabetic), hypertriglyceridimia (27.8%), hypercholesterolemia (19.2%) and metabolic syndrome (44.1%). Bivariate correlation showed that age and obesity (body mass index, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference) were positively associated with blood pressure whereas education level and time spent in walking activity were negatively associated with blood pressure. Logistic regression analyses also show that education level and waist-hip ratio were independently associated with hypertension.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate a high prevalence of hypertension among Sahraoui women, and that waist-hip ratio may be the best predictor for high blood pressure in the adult Moroccan Sahraoui ethnic group. A hypertension control program can detect nondiagnosed hypertensive individuals and thereby significantly reduce the cases of stroke, cardiac failure, renal failure and peripheral vascular disease.
Rguibi
Mohamed
M
Training and Research Unit on Food Sciences, Laboratory of Physiology Applied to Nutrition and Feeding, Chouaib Doukkali University, School of Sciences, El Jadida, Morocco.
Belahsen
Rekia
R
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000208:ethnology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000208:ethnology; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000208:ethnology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000208:ethnology; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014504:Urban Health; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*