title: Sex differences in the risk profile of hypertension: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: To assess the socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors associated with hypertension among a sample male and female population in India.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional survey data from a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) of rural West Bengal, India was used.
  
  
  
  27 589 adult individuals (13 994 males and 13 595 females), aged ≥18 years, were included in the study.
  
  
  
  Hypertension was defined as mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg, or if the subject was undergoing regular antihypertensive therapy. Prehypertension was defined as SBP 120-139 mm Hg and DBP 80-89 mm Hg. Individuals were categorised as non-normotensives, which includes both the prehypertensives and hypertensives. Generalised ordered logit model (GOLM) was deployed to fulfil the study objective.
  
  
  
  Over 39% of the men and 25% of the women were prehypertensives. Almost 12.5% of the men and 11.3% of the women were diagnosed as hypertensives. Women were less likely to be non-normotensive compared to males. Odds ratios estimated from GOLM indicate that women were less likely to be hypertensive or prehypertensive, and age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.05; and OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.09 for males and females, respectively) and body mass index (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.97 for males; and OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.60 for females) are associated with hypertension.
  
  
  
  An elevated level of hypertension exists among a select group of the rural Indian population. Focusing on men, an intervention could be designed for lifestyle modification to curb the prevalence of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Society for Health and Demographic Surveillance, Suri, West Bengal, India Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Saswata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Simantini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.affiliation: Society for Health and Demographic Surveillance, Suri, West Bengal, India Niramay TB Sanatorium and Chest Clinic, District Hospital, Suri, Birbhum, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Anamitra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: India; Nonnormotension; blood pressure; prehypertension