RESUMO
A stratified random sample of 464 persons aged 40 ato 79 years, drawn from enumeration registers in the Bridgetown area of Barbados, participated in this survey. The prevalence of hypertension (defined as systolic blood pressure of at least 160mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure of at least 95 mm Hg, or use of antihypertensive medication) was 47 percent and 43 percent for women and men, respectively. Diabetes was present in 17 percent of all subjects (18 percent of women and 15 percent of men). Of the 209 hypertensive subjects, 82 percent were aware of their blood pressure status. The proportion of previously diagnosed hypertensive subjects on medication was 72 percent for men and 68 percent for women. Fifty-three percent of men and 42 percent of women were overweight (body mass indices [weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared] between 25 and 30. However, 30 percent of women and 10 percent of men were obese (body mass indices over 30), supporting the growing recognition of the marked gender disparity in obesity among persons of African origin in the Caribbean. Body mass index was positively associated with hypertension (OR=1.33; 95 percent CI: 1.1-1.6). Obese persons experienced a 2.6 times greater risk of hypertension compared to those with body mass indices below 25. Similar statistically significant associations were observed between diabetes and body mass index: Or comparing body mass index over 30 with body mass index under 25 was 2.5 (95 percent CI: 1.3-5.1) for all subjects, 1.0 (0.3-4.1) for men only, and 5.2 (1.9-14) for women only. Preventing obesity in this population could reduce the incidence of hypertension and diabetes by approximately 30 percent and 33 percent among men and women, respectively. (Au)