Prevalence of psychosocial factors in female population and its link with arterial hypertension (who MONICA-psychosocial study)

The aim: to study the prevalence of psychosocial factors and their link with an arterial hypertension (AH) in female population of 25-64 years in Russia. Within the framework of the third screening of the WHO MONICApsychosocial program random representative sample of women aged 25-64 years (n=870) were surveyed. AH was defined as ≥140/90 mm Hg. The study was conducted according to WHO MONICA protocol. The processing is performed using SPSS 11.5. There was a high prevalence of high level of personal anxiety (HLA) and low levels of social support (LSS) in female population of 25-64 years, mostly in younger age groups. There was a trend to higher prevalence of HLA in women who had elementary level of education and in women who had higher education, and LSS in women with lower level of education. As for the occupation, manager reported HLA and LSS more often, as well as women in manual social classes. Concerning marital status married women reported HLA and LSS more often. Women who have HLA and LSS showed a higher proportion of persons with AH in all age groups. The results show that high prevalence of HLA and LSS in female population of 25-64 years are strongly related with AH in married women and also in women who had low level of education and in those being in manual physical work.