Prevalence of obesity and high normal blood pressure in rural population

Introduction: Obesity is the best predictor for the development of hypertension. Weight loss and life style modification are the two major preventive measures for the development of Hypertension and diabetes. Objective: This study was done to determine the prevalence of Obesity and high normal blood pressure (pre-hypertension) and to identify the association between the two. Materials and methods: A study was conducted on 311 individuals who attended the medicine OPD over 6 months for detecting high blood pressure and obesity. The participants were subjected to anthropometric and clinical evaluation for detection of obesity and pre hypertension. Results: Among the total 311 study participants about 108 (34.72%) had pre-hypertension and 62% of them were obese. Among obese individuals, 49.2% had Stage I pre hypertension and 50.76% Stage II pre-hypertension. The prevalence of pre-hypertension was found to be high in individuals with obesity and found in non-obese individuals. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of pre-hypertension and its association with obesity excess was higher among the individuals in the rural setting of Chennai. Early detection of obesity and pre-hypertension can prevent the development of metabolic and cardio vascular disease.