Health-related behaviours and hypertension prevention in Poland. An environmental study

INTRODUCTION: Primary and secondary prevention of hypertension is difficult and if the condition is not treated it may cause a number of dangerous complications. The objective of this study was to collect and systematize data on the health-related behaviours of Poles aiming at the prevention of hypertension in order to determine potential areas where primary health care could be improved. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of 1018 participated in the study (60% women and 40% men). The study was conducted in Poland in 2009 by means of an anonymous research questionnaire developed for survey use. The study involved people aged 30-50 years, who had not been diagnosed with hypertension, and who were under the care of a primary care physician. RESULTS: Over 35% of respondents in the potential risk group do not measure blood pressure at all, and just over 10% perform cholesterol and blood glucose level tests more often than once a year. Individuals who pay most attention to prevention in the form of physical activity are women, more often young (67% of people under 35), unmarried (52%), mostly with secondary or higher education. Moreover, one third of the women surveyed (32.4%) and almost half of men (48.4%) stated that they smoke cigarettes, and in most men (66.3%) the amount of alcohol taken in one serving exceeded the pressor threshold (> 20 g). CONCLUSIONS: Desirable health-promoting actions such as stress reduction are effective but actions such as consuming alcohol and eating fats are unsatisfactory and require intensive public education.