Physical activity and prevalence of hypertension in a population-based sample of Brazilian adults and elderly

Objectivesa) To determine the prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors and b) to establish the impact of past (i.e. adolescence) and current physical activity on hypertension.MethodsA cross-sectional study of people aged 40 years or more living in the urban area of Pelotas — Brazil (2003). Hypertension was assessed by self-report of medical diagnosis. Individuals were considered active in adolescence if they reported regular physical activity practice between the ages 10 and 19 years. In adulthood, individuals who performed ≥ 150 min/week of leisure-time physical activities were considered active. Other variables studied included skin color, age, smoking, body mass index and socioeconomic status.Results1696 individuals were interviewed (response rate > 95%). Prevalence of hypertension was 34.4% (CI95% 32.1–36.7) and varied considerably among population subgroups. Current physical activity showed no association with hypertension. Physical activity in adolescence was associated with a decreased risk of adulthood hypertension in the crude analyses for women (p < 0.001). However, after adjusting for potential confounders and mediators, this protection was no longer significant 1.20 (CI95% 0.93–1.55).ConclusionsPrevalence of hypertension is high among Brazilians and markedly different among population subgroups. There was no robust evidence of association between adolescence physical activity practice and hypertension in later life.