Relationship between workers’ lifestyles and high blood pressure unawareness

Background: Lack of awareness of hypertension is a major deterrent to the prevention of complications arising from this condition. Objective: This study aimed to identify the lifestyle characteristics associated with a higher prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) unawareness in a population of workers. Method: A sample of 339 hypertensive workers or having HBP was used. Unawareness of HBP was defined as: systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg and/or using antihypertensive drugs and without a previous diagnosis of hypertension. The main explanatory variables under consideration were physical activity, body mass index, and unhealthy eating habits. Poisson regression with robust variance was used in the adjusted models. Results: The prevalence of HBP unawareness was 63.4% (95% confidence interval — 95%CI 58.1–68.4), and it was higher among workers with three or more unhealthy eating habits (prevalence ratio — PR 1.30) and physically active workers (PR 1.21). HBP unawareness was less common among overweight and obese individuals (PR 0.81). Unhealthy habits and behaviors can contribute to a higher prevalence of HBP in workers. Conclusion: Awareness programs should be undertaken at the workplace to facilitate a healthier environment that allows improved management of the disease, with the potential to reduce the economic burden on the health care system.