Prevalence, control and treatment of arterial hypertension in Nobres - MT.
BACKGROUND
Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), considered a public health problem due to its high prevalence and difficult control, is also described as one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SAH, as well as characteristics related to its control and treatment, among individuals aging between 18 and 90 years from the urban region of Nobres, MT.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, population-based study, with random sampling and with replacement. For classification of SAH, criteria included blood pressure (BP) > or =140/90 mmHg or current use of antihypertensive drugs. Individuals were interviewed with standardized questionnaires previously tested. Variables were described as means +/- standard deviations and frequencies. Means were compared with the Student s t test and associations were determined with the Pearson chi-square test, with a significance level of 5%.


RESULTS
SAH has a prevalence of 30.1% in the sample, composed of 1,003 individuals older than 18 years. Among hypertensive individuals (N = 302), 73.5% knew about their condition, 61.9% were under treatment and for 24.2% the BP was under control. A positive association was observed between SAH and age; illiteracy; less than 8 years education; BMI > or = 25 kg/m(2); high and very high waist circumference; waist-hip ratio (WHR) at risk level; sedentariness; and alcoholism.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that SAH represents an important public health problem even in a small district in the interior region of Brazil. Levels of control and treatment of hypertension in the population were higher than those observed in similar studies, but were considered not satisfactory.
Rosário
Tânia Maria do
TM
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, MT, Brasil. taniarosario1@pop.com.br
Scala
Luiz César Nazário
LC
França
Giovanny Vinícius Araújo de
GV
Pereira
Márcia Regina Gomes
MR
Jardim
Paulo César Brandão Veiga
PC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio / Q000009:adverse effects; D055815:Young Adult