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.