Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Association With Body Mass Index Among Teachers Attending A Screening Program At A Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases. Teachers may be exposed to occupational stress, prolonged sitting, reduced physical activity, and workload-related factors that may contribute to excess body weight and elevated blood pressure.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hypertension among teachers attending a screening program at a tertiary care hospital and to assess the association between body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 253 teachers attending a screening program at a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected using a predesigned and pretested proforma. Blood pressure, height, and weight were recorded. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Descriptive statistics were expressed as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Association between BMI category and blood-pressure category was assessed using the chi-square test. Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, and binary logistic regression were used to assess relationships between BMI and blood-pressure outcomes. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Among 253 participants, 61.2% were female and 38.7% were aged 36–45 years. Overall, 40.7% were overweight and 23.3% were obese. Based on the study's stated blood-pressure classification, 33.6% had hypertension and 41.1% had prehypertension. BMI category was significantly associated with blood-pressure category (χ² = 69.78, df = 6, p < 0.001). BMI showed positive correlations with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.284, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.197, p = 0.003). In simple linear regression, BMI was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (β = 1.078, R² = 0.081, p < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.559, R² = 0.039, p = 0.003). Binary logistic regression showed that each 1 kg/m² increase in BMI was associated with higher odds of hypertension (OR = 1.121, 95% CI: 1.054–1.192, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: In this screened group of teachers, higher BMI was significantly associated with higher blood-pressure levels and hypertension. Regular screening and lifestyle-focused prevention may be useful. Because this was a cross-sectional screening study, the findings demonstrate association rather than causation.