Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Northern China: a cross-sectional study

Hypertension has always been a worldwide health concern. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of hypertension among adult residents of northern China, where people usually have a high-fat, high-salt diet and heavy alcohol consumption.

Through the Early Screening and Comprehensive Intervention Project for High Risk Groups of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Inner Mongolia of northern China, we collected data of 70,380 residents, from September 2015 to June 2017. We assessed the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in the total population and sub-populations. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with the prevalence and control of hypertension.

Among participants, only 13.4% had optimal blood pressure levels. About 55.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 55.3–56.1%) of the participants had hypertension. In addition, the awareness, treatment, control and control under-treatment rate of hypertension were 52.8% (95%CI = 52.3–53.3%), 43.3% (95%CI = 42.8–43.8%), 8.6% (95%CI = 8.3–8.9%) and 19.8% (95%CI = 19.2–20.4%), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression showed that older, male, Han, living in rural areas, current drinker, not married, lower educational level, lower annual income, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia were more likely to be suffered from hypertension (P < 0.05). Controlled hypertension was less common in those younger, Mongol, not married, farmer, current drinker, lower educational level, obesity, diabetes, without prior CHD, and without prior CVD (P < 0.05).

Among populations aged 35–75 years in Northern China, more than half have hypertension, fewer than one-tenth have successfully controlled hypertension, and fewer than one-fifth of hypertension patients receiving treatment have controlled hypertension.