Body mass index of Hypertensive and non Hypertensive Residents in a Semi-urban area of Bayelsa, Nigeria.

Introduction: Obesity and hypertension are non-communicable diseases of public interests. There is a strong interplay among the risk factors implicated in both Obesity and Hypertension. The alarming rate at which these diseases increase worldwide, calls for serious concern amongst the scientific community. The continuous presence of the risk factors associated with these diseases, eventually leads to dreadful complications that may ultimately results in morbidities affecting the quality of life. Objective: The research was to investigate the distribution of the various classes of body mass index(BMI) amongst hypertensive and non-hypertensive groups, and determined the crude rate of overweight and obesity as well as it's relationship to hypertension as a risk factor amongst residents in (Yenagoa) a suburban area , However, literatures of such investigations in the studied population was scarce. Method: A total of two hundred and seventy four subjects between the ages of 18-85 years were sampled. Out of which,162 were non-hypertensive while 112 were hypertensive, both groups are residents in Yenagoa which is the capital of Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Their weight, height were measured and Body mass index was (BMI) determined. Ethical clearance and participant's informed consent were obtained. Results where collated and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Results: 57.2% of the studied population composed of indigent and non indigent (migrants) were above the normal weight as defined by BMI,, while 25.5% were obesed.A quarter of the obese population were above 60 years of age. There was a steady rise in the crude rate of obese persons with increase in age. At p value of <0.05, there was significant association of obesity with the hypertensive group. Results also revealed that indigenes of Bayelsa(Izon) does not influence the crude rate of obesity in the studied group. Conclusion: Obesity increases with age and is closely associated with hypertension while Sedentary lifestyle accentuates with age ,therefore, increased physical activity, regular blood pressure check-up and healthy food options with reduced saturated fat intake can reduced the incidence of obesity and hypertension as well as their complications. Public efforts to reduce obesity and hypertension should be increased in urban areas in