Prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among older rural adults: results from Liaoning Province, China.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among older rural adults in Liaoning Province, China.


METHODS
The study was conducted in 2004-2006, using a multistage, stratified clustering sampling scheme to select a representative sample. A total of 10,065 adults aged 60 years or older were examined. A survey of blood pressure and associated factors was carried out. All data analyses were conducted using SPSS 11.5 statistical software package.


RESULTS
Overall, the prevalence rates of hypertension are 57, 64.4 and 64.9% for the age groups 60-69, 70-79 and >or=80 years, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension was positively correlated with age, female gender, Mongolian ethnicity, overweight and obesity, smoking and drinking, whereas income level was a protective factor for hypertension. The rates of awareness, treatment and control among older rural adults were very low (overall 35.2, 28.7 and 1.0%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Hypertension was highly prevalent among older rural adults in Liaoning Province, and it was associated with many factors. The percentages of hypertensives who were aware, treated, and controlled were very low. These data underscore the urgent need to strengthen the public health education and blood pressure monitoring system to better manage hypertension among older adults in rural China.
Pang
Wenyue
W
Division of Cardiology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, PR China.
Li
Zixu
Z
Sun
Zhaoqing
Z
Zheng
Liqiang
L
Zhang
Xingang
X
Xu
Changlu
C
Liu
Shuangshuang
S
Li
Jue
J
Hu
Dayi
D
Sun
Yingxian
Y
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class