Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Factors among Teachers of Government and Grant-in-aid Schools of a Municipal Corporation

Background: As per the non-communicable diseases (NCD) country profile by the World Health Organization (WHO), NCDs account for 63% of all deaths in India. Almost a quarter of the Indian population is suffering from hypertension as per data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5. Hypertension is a disease and a risk factor for other diseases. There is a paucity of literature on hypertension in school teachers of Western India. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 750 school teachers from government and grant-in-aid schools to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and associated factors. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Epi Info. Results: The prevalence of hypertension in school teachers was 33.3%, with overall mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure at 125.8 ± 16.7 mmHg and 82.7 ± 10.0 mmHg respectively. In univariate analysis, a significant association was observed in factors including increasing age, total teaching experience, tobacco consumption, high body mass index (BMI), high waist-to-height ratio and mental stress. Based on the adjusted odds ratio, the factors found to be significantly associated with hypertension were increasing age [AOR 2.4 (1.3–4.6)] and high BMI [AOR 2.3 (1.2–4.5)]. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension in school teachers is higher than the national average prevalence, which needs to be addressed by routine screening and spreading awareness.