Prevalence Of Hypertension And Its Risk Factors In The Chinese Maonan And Han Ethnic Groups

Background: Maonan ethnic group is one of the 55 minorities with a population of 107,166(Rank 37)according to the sixth national census statistics of China in 2010.The Maonan people are mainly distributed in the Shangnan,Zhongnan,and Xianan townships of Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County in the north of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,which is situated in Southwestern China.More than 80% of the total Maonan people live in the Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County.To the best of our knowledge,however,the levels of blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension in this population have not been explored previously.Therefore,the present study was undertaken to compare the differences in the prevalence,awareness,treatment,control and the risk factors of hypertension in the Chinese Maonan and Han populations from the same area.Methods: A cross-sectional study of hypertension and its risk factors in 1332 subjects of Maonan ethnic group and 1344 participants of Han nationality aged 18–98 was conducted by a stratified randomized sampling.Information on demographics,diet,lifestyle,and physical activity was collected with standardized questionnaires.Blood pressure,biochemical data,and several anthropometric parameters were obtained from all subjects.Results: The levels of systolic,diastolic and pulse pressures,and the overall prevalence of hypertension(48.57% vs.30.80%)and isolated systolic hypertension(14.79% vs.9.90%)were higher in Maonan than in Han(P < 0.001 for all).The rates of awareness,treatment and control in Maonan and Han were 16.69% vs.23.67%(P < 0.01),15.30% vs.20.77%(P < 0.05),and 5.41% vs.10.63%(P < 0.01);respectively.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the prevalence of hypertension was positively correlated with body mass index,hyperlipidemia,cigarette smoking,total fat and sodium intakes,and negatively associated with total dietary fiber intake in Maonan(for all P < 0.05–0.001),whereas it was positively associated with age,body mass index,alcohol consumption,total fat and sodium intakes,and negatively associated with total dietary fiber intake in Han(for all P < 0.05–0.001).Conclusions: The difference in the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors between the two ethnic groups might result from different body mass index,hyperlipidemia,diet,lifestyle,and genetic background.