[Association between abdominal circumference and hypertension among women: the Pró-Saúde Study].
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hypertension according to levels of abdominal circumference (AC) and body mass index (BMI, expressed as kg/m(2)) among public employees at a university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cross-sectional data were obtained for 1,743 non-pregnant women aged 24-69 years participating in the Pró-Saúde Study. Underweight women and those with BMI > 35 kg/m(2) were excluded. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure >140 mmHg or diastolic > 90 mmHg or the use of anti-hypertensive drugs. Age-adjusted prevalence rates for hypertension were calculated considering two strata of AC (normal: < 88 cm; high: > 88 cm) and three levels of BMI (normal: 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2); overweight: 25.0-29.9 kg/m(2); and obesity I: 30.0-34.9 kg/m(2)). Among normal-weight women, participants with high AC showed a two-fold higher prevalence of hypertension as compared to those with AC < 88 cm (18% vs. 8%, p < 0.05). Routine measurement of AC, in addition to BMI, could contribute to early identification of hypertension in women.
Hasselmann
Maria Helena
MH
Instituto de Nutrição, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. hasselm@ims.uerj.br
Faerstein
Eduardo
E
Werneck
Guilherme L
GL
Chor
Dóra
D
Lopes
Claudia S
CS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio / Q000009:adverse effects*