Key result
High waist-to-height ratio linked to ~183% higher hypertension odds in women, leading other risk factors.
Why the study?
Among Moroccan women, the combined influence of lifestyle behaviors, reproductive history, adiposity, biological alterations, cardiometabolic risk, and HRQoL on hypertension is rarely examined together in a single integrated framework.
Case-Control (n=430)
No
Odds Ratio: 2.83 (95% CI 1.61–4.98)
p-value: p=<0.001
Hypertension in Moroccan women is strongly associated with a multidimensional profile including central adiposity, family history, low physical activity, poor diet, and lower physical quality of life, highlighting the need for comprehensive primary care assessments.
Elevated waist-to-height ratio may support risk stratification in Moroccan women; leaves open causal effects and intervention efficacy.
The burden of hypertension is increasing in countries undergoing rapid nutritional, lifestyle, and epidemiological transitions, creating an urgent need for context-specific prevention strategies. Among Moroccan women, hypertension may reflect the combined influence of lifestyle behaviors, reproductive history, adiposity, biological alterations, cardiometabolic risk, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, these dimensions are rarely examined together in a single integrated framework. This case–control study included 430 Moroccan women, comprising 215 hypertensive cases and 215 normotensive controls. Sociodemographic, reproductive, clinical, lifestyle, dietary, anthropometric, body composition, biological, and quality-of-life data were collected. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Mediterranean diet adherence using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), and health-related quality of life using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Biological markers included fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, uric acid, creatinine, and hemoglobin. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with hypertension. Participants with hypertension showed a less favorable multidimensional profile than normotensive controls. In the adjusted model, elevated waist-to-height ratio showed the strongest association with hypertension (AOR = 2.83; 95% CI: 1.61–4.98), followed by family history of hypertension (AOR = 2.47; 95% CI: 1.49–4.09), elevated visceral fat level (AOR = 2.40; 95% CI: 1.38–4.18), low physical activity (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.31–3.76), low SF-12 physical component score (AOR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.29–3.68), low Mediterranean diet adherence (AOR = 2.08; 95% CI: 1.20–3.59), and hyperuricemia (AOR = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.15–3.50). Routine primary healthcare assessment should extend beyond blood pressure measurement to include central adiposity, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, dietary patterns, reproductive history, cardiometabolic comorbidities, and HRQoL. This integrated approach may support the identification of high-risk women and guide more personalized prevention and management of hypertension.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Chourite et al. (2026) conducted a case-control in Hypertension (n=430). Elevated waist-to-height ratio vs. Normal waist-to-height ratio was evaluated on Hypertension status (AOR 2.83, 95% CI 1.61-4.98, p=<0.001). Elevated waist-to-height ratio showed the strongest independent association with hypertension among Moroccan women (AOR 2.83), followed by family history, elevated visceral fat, and low physical activity.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: