A Study on Hypertension and Its Risk Factors Among Teaching Professionals
Keywords:
Hypertension, teaching professionals, Prehypertension.Abstract
Background: Hypertension, or high blood pressure, occurs when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high. While it is common, it can lead to serious health issues if left untreated. Several factors contribute to the increasing prevalence of hypertension, including obesity, insulin resistance, high alcohol intake, high salt consumption, aging, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, low potassium intake, and low calcium intake. In the teaching profession, hypertension can be influenced by various factors, such as high levels of stress, long working hours, and the demanding nature of the job. We conducted a cross-sectional study among teachers to estimate the risk of hypertension and its association with job stress.
Subjects and methods: To understand the relationship between hypertension and stress among teachers, a workplace stress scale was used to gather information on job stress and other related risk factors. Additionally, the blood pressure, height, weight, hip, and waist measurements of the respondents were taken. The total sample size comprised 520 teachers, while non-teaching professionals, hypertensive teachers, and pregnant women were excluded from the study.
Results: Out of 520 samples, 29.40% of participants were found to have prehypertension, while 24.20% had hypertension. A significant association was identified between hypertension and several factors, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and stress factors such as travel stress, years of experience, and overall stress levels. Additionally, a notable correlation was found between hypertension and the lifestyle risk factor of physical activity.
Conclusion: Among teaching professionals, the rate of hypertension is lower than the rate of prehypertension. Those in the prehypertension stage are strongly associated with various risk factors. To address this issue, early detection of prehypertension should be mandated. If not identified early, prehypertension can progress to hypertension, which increases the risk of modifiable cardiovascular diseases.
