Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among adults aged 20-60 years of both sexes in south area of Jordan.
Design and method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 950 participants aged 20 years or older over a period of one year between 1st of March 2010 to April 2011 at Princess Haya Bent Al-Hussein military hospital.HTN was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 45.5 years and 76.1% of them were 37 years and older; 50.1% of them were females. The overall prevalence of hypertension (HTN) in this population was found to be 20.8%. The prevalence of hypertension was 42.4% in men and 36.7% in women. Higher prevalence of hypertension was found with history of cerbrovascular/cardiovascular events (26.6.5%), diabetes mellitus (25.9%), family history of hypertension (28.1%), smoking (35%), lack of physical exercise (26.3%), B.M.I.>25 (27.1%), non-vegetarian diet (25.1%) and saturated fat intake (25.7%).
Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension appears to be high in this south area of Jordan. Hence, intervention measures should be undertaken at the community level; particular emphasis should be placed on prevention by introducing lifestyle modifications and creating awareness about the problem so that early detection and intervention is possible.

Key words: Hypertension, prevalence, risk factors.