Factors associated with awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among 3579 hypertensive adults in China: data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

BackgroundThe prevalence of hypertension is high and rising in China, but most people with hypertension do not have their blood pressure under control. This study investigated hypertension awareness, treatment, and control and their associated factors among Chinese adults.MethodsData collected from the 2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 12,991 Chinese adults were used. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure >= 140mmHg, diastolic blood pressure >= 90mmHg, self-reported prior diagnosed hypertension, or taking antihypertensive medications. Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control were defined as a self-reported diagnosis of hypertension, current use of antihypertensive medication, and blood pressure<140/90mmHg, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine factors associated with hypertension awareness, treatment, and control.ResultsOverall, 3579 (27.6%) of the CHNS adult participants had hypertension, of whom 55.7% were aware of their diagnosis, 46.5% were treated with antihypertensive medications, but only 20.3% had their blood pressure under control. Higher hypertension treatment was associated with older age (OR=2.57; 95%CI, 1.65-4.02), urban residency (1.50; 1.14-1.97), living in the Eastern region (1.52; 1.14-2.01), and being overweight/obese (1.99; 1.39-2.84). Hypertension awareness was associated with similar factors as hypertension treatment but was also associated with being female (1.37, 1.12-1.66). Poor hypertension control was associated with being overweight/obese (0.56; 0.42-0.76) and minority ethnicity (0.52; 0.31-0.86).ConclusionHypertension is a major public health challenge in China. The prevalence of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control are still low despite existing public health policies and programs to reduce the burden of hypertension. More intensive hypertension screening and treatment programs are warranted in China.

Automated summary

The study found that over a quarter of Chinese adults have hypertension, but only about one-fifth have their blood pressure under control, indicating low levels of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control in China. Factors associated with higher hypertension treatment include older age, urban residency, living in the Eastern region, and being overweight/obese, while hypertension awareness is also linked to being female. Poor hypertension control, on the other hand, is associated with being overweight/obese and belonging to a minority ethnicity.