Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Hypertension Among Older Adults in the United States (nhanes 2007-2010): Are There Differences By Race and Ethnicity? - Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Hypertension Among Older Adults in the United States (nhanes 2007-2010): Are There Differences By Race and Ethnicity? - Open Access Pub

Lifestyle modification has been shown to improve cardiovascular health. This cross-sectional study investigated the association of number of healthy lifestyle behaviors with hypertension across racial/ethnic categories using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010. The study population consisted of 4,363 individuals aged 40 years or older. Low risk lifestyle behaviors were assessed to obtain a health behavior score ranging from 0 to 5. Hypertension was defined based on average blood pressure measurements or current use of antihypertensive medication. The overall hypertension prevalence was 41%, with the highest prevalence in blacks (54%) and lowest in Mexican Americans (35%). Based on multivariable-adjusted logistic regression the odds of hypertension were significantly lower for whites with 3 (OR=0.56, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.77) and 4-5 (OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.80) healthy lifestyle behaviors, and for blacks who had 4-5 (OR=0.35, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.72) vs. 0-1 healthy lifestyle behaviors. There was no statistically significant association between number of healthy lifestyle behaviors and odds of hypertension in Mexican Americans. These results suggest that healthy lifestyle behaviors are associated with lower prevalence of hypertension in whites and blacks, but additional research is needed to identify protective factors for Mexican Americans. DOI 10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1104 Hypertension, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and stroke, affects an estimated 80 million Americans. Hypertension-related health care costs in the U.S. were approximately $46 billion in 2011 1. The overall age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. is estimated to be 30% 2, which increases with age to 70% for people 65 years or older 3. However, prevalence may be underestimated due to the absence of symptoms associated with hypertension, leaving millions more undiagnosed 4, 5. Studies have shown differences in the prevalence of hypertension across racial and ethnic groups. Analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) have consistently shown blacks to have a higher prevalence of hypertension compared to whites, and Mexican Americans a lower prevalence compared to whites 6, 7, 8, 9. Other data sources have also found blacks to have higher odds of hypertension and Mexican Americans or Hispanics to have similar or lower odds of hypertension compared to whites 10, 11. Lifestyle modification has been recommended to prevent and manage hypertension 12. Behaviors such as moderate alcohol consumption 13, not smoking