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PHOM Indicator Report of Blood Pressure: Doctor-diagnosed HypertensionWhy Is This Important?High blood pressure (hypertension) is an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. It is preventable, and in most cases it can be treated with medication and lifestyle changes, such as diet, exercise, and tobacco cessation. Treatment works best when high blood pressure is identified early. Because high blood pressure does not produce symptoms, regular screening is recommended.Doctor-diagnosed Hypertension by Race, 2009 and 2011 combined   According to the Utah Office of Health Disparities, Hispanic persons who may be White often report their race as "other." As the U.S. government considers Hispanic to be an ethnicity rather than a race, a separate data table and chart compares high blood pressure among non-Hispanic and Hispanic Utahns. Data SourcesUtah Data: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Office of Public Health Assessment, Utah Department of HealthData NotesDoctor-diagnosed hypertension is based on the answer to the question: "Have you ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health professional that you have high blood pressure?" Those with hypertension only during pregnancy are excluded from the denominator. Beginning in 2011, BRFSS data include both landline and cell phone respondent data along with a new weighting methodology called iterative proportional fitting, or raking. This methodology utilizes additional demographic information (such as education, race, and marital status) in the weighting procedure. Both of these methodology changes were implemented to account for an increased number of U.S. households without landline phones and an under-representation of certain demographic groups that were not well-represented in the sample. More details about these changes can be found at: http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/brfss/Raking/Raking%20impact%202011.pdf. This graph is based on the new methodology. Data are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. population using 3 groups for age standardization.Risk FactorsSome risk factors for high blood pressure can be reduced through lifestyle changes. These include exercise, reducing excess weight, tobacco cessation, and low-sodium diet. The Institute of Medicine also recommends increasing dietary potassium, which can be achieved by eating more fruits and vegetables. Some risk factors are more difficult to control, such as family history and genetics. Certain medications can affect blood pressure as well. Individuals are encouraged to discuss their risk factors with a physician and monitor their blood pressure regularly.How Are We Doing?The proportion of Utah adults who reported being told they had high blood pressure has remained relatively constant over the past decade. In 2011, 25 percent of Utah adults (1 in 4) reported being told they had high blood pressure. This is slightly below the U.S. Healthy People 2020 target of 26.9%. Utah's state 2020 target is 22.8%.The percentage of adults who reported being told they had high blood pressure was much lower for women than men until the oldest age group, 65+. In this age group, the rate of high blood pressure was 55.9% among men and 54.0% among women. Doctor-diagnosed high blood pressure varied considerably among income categories. Those with annual household incomes above $75,000 had a rate nearly 10 percentage points below those with household incomes below $25,000. Hispanic Utahns had slightly lower rates of doctor-diagnosed high blood pressure (24.7%) than non-Hispanic Utahns (25.8%). Although the difference is not statistically significant, both rates are above the Utah's Healthy People 2020 target. Doctor-diagnosed high blood pressure did not vary much by educational level among those with less than a college degree. However, the rate was 24.4% among college graduates, nearly 5 percentage points below those with some college. What Is Being Done?The Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program works with health care organizations, such as health plans and community health centers, to improve quality of care for cardiovascular conditions and control risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.Healthy People Objective HDS-5.1:Reduce the proportion of adults with hypertensionU.S. Target: 26.9 percent State Target: 22.8 percent Date Indicator Content Last Updated: 10/22/2012Other Views
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