Awareness of hypertension and related factors in northeastern China: a cross-sectional study

Timely awareness of hypertension is among the most crucial components in reducing the burden of hypertension. However, there is limited information about the awareness of hypertension in northern China. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the awareness of hypertension and its associated factors in the Jilin province in China; the study was conducted between July 2014 and December 2015 in four cities and four rural counties in the Jilin province as part of a national study. A stratified multistage random-sampling method was used to select a representative sample: a total of 15,206 participants aged >= 15 years were initially recruited, among which 14,956 were finally included in the survey. The awareness of hypertension in the Jilin province was found to be 42.3%. Moreover, the awareness of hypertension was associated with age, sex, region, marital status, body mass index, and family history of hypertension or coronary artery disease. Employment was associated with a lower awareness in rural areas, whereas high education was associated with a higher awareness in urban areas. Policies targeting specific subgroups may be helpful in increasing the awareness of hypertension in the Jilin province.