Prevalence of Hypertension in school teachers of Bengaluru

<p><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> The burden of hypertension is rapidly rising in India and if uncontrolled, can lead to greater complications and mortality. Apart from the lifestyle factors, it is important to explore the workplace stressors in the aetiology of hypertension.</p> <p><strong>METHODS:</strong> In order to understand the association of hypertension and stress in teachers of urban areas of India, data was collected from 401 school teachers. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on job stress and other risk factors. Data was collected from 123 schools using a validated questionnaire. Blood Pressure of respondents was measured using a modified approach of Peters Schnall and Karen Bettoic and classified as per the recommendations of the Joint National Commission (UNG-VII).</p> <p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>Among the 401 schools teachers, 28% had normal blood pressure, 36% were pre hypertensive, 24% were - 1 stage hypertensive and 12% in stage-II hypertension. Among the other results, one fifth of the teachers whose parents/siblings had hypertension had normal BP and more than one third of teachers whose parents did not have hypertension had normal BP (35%). The unadjusted estimates indicate that emotional and work profile stressors were associated with hypertension. However, `this effect disappeared after adjusting the confounders.</p> <p><strong>CONCLUSION: </strong>There is high prevalence of hypertension among public school teachers of Bengaluru. Creating awareness among BBMP school teachers regarding lifestyle modifications and regular screening of blood pressure is crucial.</p>