High Blood Pressure and Self-Reported Systemic Hypertension in Elderly Enrolled in the Family Health Strategy Program

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP), self-reported hypertension, and associated factors among in elderly enrolled in the Family Health Strategy (FHS) Program. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study with in elderly enrolled in the FHS Program of Campina Grande/Paraíba/Brazil. This study determined the prevalence of HBP and self-reported hypertension and their associations with demographic, socioeconomic variables, lifestyle, and number of self-reported morbidities. Three blood pressure measurements were performed, and the average value was used for analysis. To control possible confounding factors, data were modeled by the method of linear models generalized with Poisson log modeling to determine prevalence ratios and confidence intervals. The SPSS 22.0 statistical application was used, and 5% significance level was adopted. RESULTS: High prevalence of HBP (80.9%) was observed, which was associated with the number of self-reported morbidities, both in the univariate and multivariate analyses. High prevalence of self-reported hypertension (66.4%) was also observed. In the final model, positive association between hypertension and demographic and socioeconomic variables and lifestyle was verified. DISCUSSION: Monitor hypertension should be a priority action given its association with genetic, social and behavioral conditions presented by individuals.