The overall prevalence of raised blood pressure among Malaysian adults was 66.8%, with older age, male gender, Malay ethnicity, and excessive weight significantly associated with higher severity.
Cross-Sectional (n=15,738)
Yes
What are the prevalence and determinants of hypertension severity among Malaysian adults?
Almost 70% of Malaysian adults have elevated blood pressure, with prehypertension being the most common, highlighting a significant public health burden driven by factors like obesity and diabetes.
High blood pressure is a worldwide problem and major global health burden. Whether alone or combined with other metabolic diseases, high blood pressure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study is a secondary data analysis from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, a population-based study that was conducted nationwide in Malaysia using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design. A total of 15,738 adults ≥18-years-old were recruited into the study, which reports the prevalence of hypertension stages among adults in Malaysia using the JNC7 criteria and determinants of its severity. The overall prevalence of raised blood pressure was 66.8%, with 45.8% having prehypertension, 15.1% having Stage 1 hypertension, and 5.9% having Stage 2 hypertension. In the multivariate analysis, a higher likelihood of having prehypertension was observed among respondents with advancing age, males (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 2.41-3.12), Malay ethnicity (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02-1.44), lower socioeconomic status, and excessive weight. The factors associated with clinical hypertension (Stages 1 and 2) were older age, rural residency (Stage 1 OR = 1.22, Stage 2 OR = 1.28), Malay ethnicity (Stage 2 OR = 1.64), diabetes (Stage 2 OR = 1.47), hypercholesterolemia (Stage 1 OR = 1.34, Stage 2 OR = 1.82), being overweight (Stage 1 OR = 2.86, Stage 2 OR = 3.44), obesity (Stage 1 OR = 9.01, Stage 2 OR = 13.72), and lower socioeconomic status. Almost 70% of Malaysian adults are at a risk of elevated blood pressure. The highest prevalence was in the prehypertension group, which clearly predicts a future incurable burden of the disease. Public health awareness, campaigns through mass and social media, and intervention in the work place should be a priority to control this epidemic.
Naidu et al. (Thu,) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=15,738). Risk factors (sociodemographic, behavioral, and comorbidities) vs. Normal blood pressure / reference groups was evaluated on Overall prevalence of raised blood pressure (prehypertension and clinical hypertension) (95% CI 65.6-68.0). The overall prevalence of raised blood pressure among Malaysian adults was 66.8%, with older age, male gender, Malay ethnicity, and excessive weight significantly associated with higher severity.