Prevalence of hypertension in adults in the City of São Paulo and associated factors

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the behavior of the prevalence of hypertension in the city of São Paulo and its associated factors. Methods: The present study used data from the Health Survey in the Municipality of São Paulo (ISA Capital), a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in São Paulo. Data from 1,667 and 3,184 individuals were analyzed in 2003 and 2015, respectively, aged 20 years and over. Descriptive analyzes of the prevalence of hypertension were performed with 95% confidence intervals. Simple and multiple analyzes were performed to analyze the possible associations with socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle variables by Poisson regression. Results: The prevalence of hypertension increased from 17.2% in 2003 to 23.2% in 2015. The associated variables with hypertension were: gender (females); age (60 years old and over); marital status (married, separated and widowed); having a religion; low education level; being born in the state of São Paulo (except capital); nutritional status (low weight, overweight and obesity); former smokers. Conclusion: The prevalence of self-reported hypertension increased significantly in the study period. Considering this disease’s impact on society, knowing its current prevalence and identifying its main associated factors, the need to intensify the efforts to prevent it disease is evident in order to mitigate damage to individuals and impact on public expenditure.