Abstract

Background: Assessment of the prevalence of prehypertension among the student population and its association with risk factors such as stress and anxiety is very essential to plan preventive programs. This cross-sectional study was carried out among medical, engineering, and arts students to assess the prevalence of prehypertension and its association with stress and anxiety.

Aims and Objectives: The objectives are as follows: (1) To find the prevalence of prehypertension, stress, and anxiety and to assess their association and (2) to find out the association of prehypertension among various courses.

Materials and Methods: A total of 323 students from various courses such as medicine, engineering, and arts from a deemed university in Chennai participated in the study. After obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval and informed consent, details on their personal identity were collected. Blood pressure was measured. Anxiety and stress were assessed using generalized anxiety disorder-7 and Cohen’s stress scale self-administered questionnaires.

Results: The prevalence of prehypertension was highest (55.6%) among medical students. Stress and anxiety levels are almost similar in all courses with a negligible difference. However, stress is highest among B. Tech students (58.9%) and anxiety levels highest among the medical students (20.3%). The prevalence of pre-hypertension was 1.42 times more among people with high stress, 1.8 times more among people with anxiety and 1.5 times more among medical students which were statistically significant.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of prehypertension and its association with stress and anxiety in this adolescent population indicates an urgent need for goals to reduce the cardiovascular risk.

Key words: Prehypertension; Stress; Anxiety; Cardiovascular Risk