Prevalence of hypertension in rural nicaraguan coffee farm workers

Background: Estimates of prevalence of adult hypertension range from 25-33% globally. There are limited data about adult hypertension prevalence in Nicaragua. One study of an urban sample in Managua suggests prevalence rates consistent with global estimates however data from a rural sample in southern Nicaragua indicates prevalence of 38% and 43% in men and women respectively. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence of hypertension in a rural community in north central Nicaragua. Method: Demographic characteristics, health status, risk factors, access to health care, and treatment were measured in a convenience sample of adult non-migrant coffee farm workers. Blood pressure was measured using an established protocol. Hypertension was defined as systolic or diastolic of > 140 or > 90 respectively or treatment with antihypertensive medication. Pre-hypertension was defined as systolic or diastolic of 120-139 or 80-89 respectively. Results: Complete data were available on 184 of the approximately 300 workers. Participants were predominantly male (58%) with a mean age of 35 + 15; the majority (60%) reported at least one prior blood pressure measurement. Hypertension was detected in 16.67% of males and 26.32% of females (19.79% of the total). Pre-hypertension was detected in 59.26% of males and 27.63% of females (45.45% of the total). About half of the males (51.4%) reported smoking compared to 1.23% of females. Discussion: Results indicate a lower prevalence of hypertension in this population than in previous studies. Contributing factors may be the communal kitchen and ready access to health care available to these farm workers.