LIFESTYLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE WOMEN IN THE CROATIAN GENERAL POPULATION

Objective: Lifestyle habits are key factors in the development of all NCD, arterial hypertension (AH) being most predominant in general population. This study aimed to investigate lifestyle differences between normotensive and hypertensive women in the general population. Design and method: The participants were randomly selected as part of the - Epidemiology of Hypertension in Croatia-2 -project (a random sample from the general adult population of Croatia). Female participants were divided into two groups based on their blood levels, hypertensive and normotensive women. Data were systematically collected through a structured questionnaire which included frequency of active smokers, physical activity, consumption of alcohol, consumption of red meat, fish, and olive oil. These data were analyzed and compared between the given two groups. Results: Hypertensive women were less likely to be active smokers compared to normotensive women (16.9% vs 27.1%, p = 0.014). There were no differences in physical activity, alcohol consumption, or consumption of red meat, fish, and olive oil between the groups. Hypertensive participants showed significantly higher daily salt intake (8.43 g), and higher Na/K ratio (2.81), while normotensive participants showed a lower daily salt intake (7.55 g) and lower Na/K ratio (2.5). Conclusions: Our results show that higher salt intake and a higher Na/K ratio are associated with AH in women, while normotensive women were more likely to be active smokers. This suggests that further education and promotion of a diet with lower salt intake are needed to improve blood pressure, and it also indicates that the relationship between active smoking and hypertension warrants further investigation.