Revista de Enfermagem e Cuidados

The prevalence of high blood pressure in Armenians

Abstract

Salpy Akaragian

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Armenia (World Health Rankings, 2012).  Limited data exists on the prevalence of risk factors and other contributors to the development of CVD.  Understanding the prevalence of various risk factors is a critical first step towards addressing the burden of disease among any population. 

Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study examined the prevalence of HBP and risk factors associated with HBP in a select group of Armenian men and women ages 21 and older, living in Armenia. The study followed Joint National Committee-8 guidelines to collect BP data and was conducted at a single point in one clinic.

Results: The convenience sample was composed predominantly of middle-aged females, married, and had a high school education or higher.  Over half of the adults of the sample were prehypertensive or hypertensive.  Over three-quarters of the participants never smoked and over half of the respondents consumed alcohol in the past 12 months.  The nonparametric Spearman correlations indicated that BP level had significant moderate to large correlations with many factors. The results of the stepwise multiple regression model indicated that BP levels were higher with greater waist circumference, a personal history of HBP, high total cholesterol, being male and older age.  Furthermore, a fraction of hypertensive respondents had their HBP controlled and more than half of the respondents scored low on MMAS-8 scale.

Conclusion: The findings of this study about the associations between HBP and waist-hip ratio, age, BMI, Total-C, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C were consistent with past research.  Waist circumference was the strongest predictor of HBP. The findings of the study cannot be generalized; it must be duplicated by increasing sample size in Yerevan and for the other 10 regions in Armenia.