Factors associated with borderline hypertension in medical students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction. The number of people with borderline hypertension increases every year, this condition is associated with modifiable habits. Objective. Assess the occurrence and factors associated with borderline hypertension in medical students at the Autonomous University of Guerrero. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out in October 2023 on a sample of 190 medical students. A self-administered questionnaire collected sociodemographic information and potential associated factors, including the body mass index. We measured the systemic blood pressure twice to detect borderline hypertension. We used bivariate and multivariate analysis to identify the factors associated with borderline hypertension. Results. The occurrence of borderline hypertension was 30%. A higher proportion of male students had borderline hypertension (55%, 42/76) than female students (13%, 15/114), p<0.01. Factors associated with borderline hypertension were body mass index >25 (ORa: 4.23, 95%CI 2.06 – 8.70) and male sex (ORa: 7.28, 95%CI 3.59 – 14.77). Conclusions. Three out of ten students had borderline hypertension. The provision of comprehensive care for young individuals with borderline hypertension is of essential importance in the prevention of progression to systemic hypertension.