Epidemiology of and Factors Associated with Prehypertension Among Hill Tribe Adults Aged 30-59 Years in Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of and to determine the factors associated with prehypertension among the hill tribe aged 30-59 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data using a validated questionnaire and 5 mL blood specimens among six main hill tribe people living in 30 villages. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between variables at a significance level of alpha = 0.05. A total of 1,076 individuals were recruited into the study: 67.3% were females, and 22.6% were aged 30-39 years. The overall prevalence was 67.8%. Six variables were found to be associated with prehypertension: being female; had family members <= 4 people; being members of Lahu, Hmong, Yao, Karen, and Lisu; had family debt; had overweight; and had a high total cholesterol. The implementation focused on encouraging active physical activity to reduce prehypertension is serious concerned and introduced.

Automated summary

The study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with prehypertension among hill tribe people aged 30-59 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted, collecting data using validated questionnaires and blood samples from six main hill tribe populations in 30 villages. Logistic regression analysis revealed six variables associated with prehypertension, including gender, family size, ethnicity, family debt, overweight, and high total cholesterol. The implementation of active physical activity to reduce prehypertension was emphasized.