Survey of prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension among Chinese governmental and institutional employees in Beijing

Abstract

Background: Few studies have been done on the effects that awareness, treatment, and control have on hypertension among governmental and institutional employees. Hypothesis: The aim of this study was to explore prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among governmental and institutional employees. Methods: A total of 80 governmental organizations and institutions were selected with a 2-stage clustering sampling method in Beijing and all employees in the selected institutions were considered our study subjects. The survey questionnaires included demographic characteristics; medical, personal, and family health history; lifestyle information; and sources of blood pressure knowledge. Results: The ages of 30 682 subjects ranged from 18 to 65 years and averaged 40.3 ± 11.4 years. The proportion of males was 54.4% (16 702 subjects). A total of 9216 subjects were diagnosed hypertensive and the prevalence rate was 30.0%. Among hypertensive patients, 5399 subjects were aware of being hypertensive and the awareness rate was 58.6%. Although 51.7% of hypertensive subjects were taking antihypertensive medications, only 2371 subjects had their blood pressure under control (<140/90mm Hg) and the control rate was 25.7%. Only 4915 subjects (16.0%) monitored their own blood pressure regularly. Health publications (50.6%) and families/friends (49.1%) were the main sources of hypertension knowledge. Female hypertensive subjects have more effectively controlled blood pressure than their male counterparts. Subjects with a bachelor's degree or higher had a lower awareness rate and treatment rate, but a higher control rate. Conclusions: The percentage of hypertensive subjects who are aware, treated, and controlled are unacceptably low among Chinese governmental and institutional employees. Regular medical check-ups and measuring of blood pressure are necessary to improve awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.