The Association Between Overweight Obesity Status and Hypertension in a Rural Community in Dang District, Gujarat, India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background The relationship between overweight obesity status and hypertension is well-known throughout the world, especially in low socioeconomic communities and developing countries. Both high blood pressure and obesity are preventable risk factors for noncommunicable disease, death, and disability. The prevalence of obesity-overweight status in India is increasing faster than the global average, and diabetes in Southeast Asia has surged over the past few decades. There have been few systematic studies focusing on public health development in rural communities of India, like the Dang District. This study explores the association between overweight-obesity status and hypertension prevalence in a rural community in Dang district, Gujarat, India. Methods A cross-sectional design was utilized for this study, involving 1012 adult patient charts collected from medical camps in December 2018 and 2019. Patients with incomplete information for measurements of blood pressure, height, weight, age, and sex were omitted from the analysis (n=953). Data on BMI and blood pressure were analyzed to examine the relationship between overweight-obesity status and hypertension. Hypertension was defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) cut-offs for measured blood pressure. Both World Health Organization (WHO) and South Asian cut-offs were used for BMI. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between hypertension and overweight-obesity status, adjusted for age and sex. Results Most patients were hypertensive, with males having a higher prevalence (63.3%) than females (55.1%). The prevalence of hypertension among participants increased with age. This was true for both sexes, except for males 45-54 years of age. The average BMI for both sexes was 22.4. Results indicated that overweight and obese individuals had a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension compared to their normal-weight counterparts, suggesting a strong association between the two conditions. A binary logistic regression found that males were 1.35 times more likely to have hypertension than females (95% CI 1.03 - 1.79), and increasing age and BMI were associated with an increased likelihood of hypertension. Conclusion The association between hypertension and BMI is positive and is stronger when using South Asian cut-offs. Using these cut-offs will include a wider range of people at risk for hypertension. With males and older adults especially at risk, targeting public health awareness campaigns to reduce BMI and help lower the burden of hypertension can improve the health and quality of life in this community.