Estimated prevalence of hypertension and associated factors in Krenak indigenous adults in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

This cross-sectional study in 2016 aimed to describe the estimated prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension and associated factors in Krenak adults and elderly in an indigenous community located along the Rio Doce in eastern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and capillary blood glucose. Sociodemographic and lifestyle information was obtained from a face-to-face questionnaire. Poisson regression models were constructed to estimate independent associations between the target variables and hypertension. Prevalence of hypertension was 31.2% (95%CI: 24.4-37.9) in Krenak indigenous. The final model showed an independent association with increasing age, abdominal obesity, and hyperglycemia. The results highlight the need for effective measures in prevention, diagnosis, and follow-up of modifiable risk factors for hypertension, since high prevalence of this condition was observed in the Krenak indigenous community.