The prevalence of hypertension and the association with eating habits in the elderly in Hue city

Introduction: Hypertension is a common disease, which has experienced an increasing trend worldwide and Vietnam is no exception, especially in the elderly. The association of eating habits with hypertension may be proposed. Thus, detecting some unhealthy eating habits can help prevent and control the risk of hypertension in the community. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hypertension, explore eating habits and the association between eating habits and hypertension in the elderly in Hue city. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2022 to May 2022 on 428 people aged 60 and older who were living in 6 communes in Hue city by face-to-face interviews. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 68.0%, of which the rate of new detection was 32.3%. The prevalence of high salt intake was 32.0% and alcohol consumption was 15.9%. We observed a high prevalence of low consumptions of fruits and vegetables with 43.7% and 59.6%, respectively. Additionally, 39.2% of participants used repeated heating of cooking oils. We observed a significant association of low fruit consumption with hypertension. Furthermore, other eating habits were found to have an association with hypertension including try limiting salt in the diet and use a lot of seasoning/dipping sauce. Conclusions: The prevalence of hypertension in the elderly was high and a low consumption of fruits was found in relation to an increased risk of hypertension. It is necessary to screen for early detection of hypertension for the elderly and communicate to increase awareness about the impact of eating habits on hypertension. Key words: Hypertension, elderly, eating habits, high salt intake, Hue.