Prevalence and risk factors of hypertension in Mauritius: A cross-sectional study

Hypertension, a highly prevalent non-communicable disease is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In the Republic of Mauritius, the growing number of elderly people along with a rise in overweight and obese populations indicate a looming increase in hypertension prevalence. Given its profound burden on the population and economy, updated insights into the burden and determinants of hypertension in Mauritius is crucial for developing interventions aimed at prevention, management and identifying of at-risk groups. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and investigating associated risk factors for hypertension in Mauritius. A cross-sectional study was conducted using the nationally representative data from the 2021 Mauritius non-communicable diseases survey. The survey included 3,622 participants from a total of 4307 contacted individuals (84.1% response rate) aged 19-84 years from all nine districts of the country. The outcome, hypertension, was defined as blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mmHg systolic and/or 90 mm Hg diastolic or the use of antihypertensive drugs. A log-binomial regression analysis was performed to examine the association between hypertension and a range of sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and behavioural factors, along with the presence of cardiovascular disease. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 35.1%. Older age, low education, high body mass index, occasional or frequent alcohol consumption, and history of cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with hypertension. There is a need to actively implement focused intervention strategies that target and tackle these risk factors to reduce the burden associated with hypertension in Mauritius.