Background Hypertension has emerged as a major health problem to the world’s population, particularly in developing countries such as Indonesia. The prevalence of hypertension in Indonesia was not well defined and the information was sparse.
This paper, taking advantage of a study on risk factors in Indonesia, estimates the prevalence of hypertension and examines its association with some
socioeconomic, demographic, disease, and lifestyle factors.
Method A population-based sample comprising 664,196 individuals were selected randomly from 33 provinces in Indonesia and surveyed in 2007. The JNC VII criteria for hypertension, descriptive techniques and binary logistic regression were used.
Results The prevalence of hypertension was 7.3%. Females were found to be more hypertensive than men and age was positively associated with hypertension. An inverse significant association was found when comparing the risk of being hypertensive between individuals at the lowest educational level (illiterate and elementary school) and the highest (secondary and higher education). The prevalence was higher in rural rather than urban areas, but did not differ significantly between occupations. Individuals who live with serious diabetes mellitus and mental illness, ex-smokers, sedentary or low physical activity, alcohol drinkers, higher BMI, individuals who eat more fresh fruits and high-seasoned foods, and less vegetables were more likely to have hypertension.
Conclusion The study identified the risk factors such as socioeconomic,
demographic, disease and lifestyle factors related to hypertension in Indonesia.
This population-based study was larger and reflects the updated current status of the major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The results have implications for Indonesian people who will be more concerned with the risk factors of
hypertension and take preventive action. For public policy, it can help policy makers suggest and implement various health planning programs as well as develop health promotion programs for the prevention of hypertension in Indonesia.
