Diet-Related Factors, Educational Levels and Blood Pressure in a Chinese Population Sample: Findings from the Japan-China Cooperative Research Project

Yukio YAMORI; Longjian LIU; Lihong MU; He ZHAO; Youqun PEN; Zhiqiong HU; Sachiko KUGA; Hiroko NEGISHI; Katsumi IKEDA

doi:10.1291/hypres.25.559

Clinical studies

Diet-Related Factors, Educational Levels and Blood Pressure in a Chinese Population Sample: Findings from the Japan-China Cooperative Research Project

Yukio YAMORI, Longjian LIU, Lihong MU, He ZHAO, Youqun PEN, Zhiqiong HU, Sachiko KUGA, Hiroko NEGISHI, Katsumi IKEDA

Author information

Yukio YAMORI
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Longjian LIU
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Donald W. Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Lihong MU
Department of Epidemiology, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
He ZHAO
Chongqing Jian She Hospital
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Youqun PEN
Chongqing Jian She Hospital
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Zhiqiong HU
Department of Epidemiology, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Sachiko KUGA
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Hiroko NEGISHI
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project
Katsumi IKEDA
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research on Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases
School of Human Environmental Sciences, Mukogawa Women’s University
on behalf of the Japan-China Cooperative Study Group: Chongqing Project

Keywords: diet habits, education, blood pressure, Chinese

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2002 Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 559-564

DOI https://doi.org/10.1291/hypres.25.559

Details

Abstract

As part of the Japan-China Cooperative Research Project of the WHO-Cardiovascular Disease and Alimentary Comparison Study, a cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate risk factors for high blood pressure (BP) in male adults in Chongqing, China. Subjects with hypertension (HT) were defined as those if they had systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mmHg or if they were receiving anti-hypertensive drug therapy. Subjects were also categorized into three groups according to their level of education, i.e., low- (≤6 years), intermediate- (7-9 years), or high- (≥10 years) level education. The results were as follows. (a) 20.3% of subjects had HT, 16.7% had hypercholesterolemia (serum total cholesterol ≥220 mg/dl), and 23.4% were overweight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m²). (b) After adjustment for age, SBP and DBP showed a significant positive association with body mass index, urinary sodium (Na) excretion, and total cholesterol (TC) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL). SBP and DBP tended to be negatively associated with 24 h urinary potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) excretion. (c) Subjects with the highest educational level had the lowest prevalence of HT (11.6%), followed by those with the low (22.6%) and the intermediate (25.0%) educational levels (p <0.05). (d) Logistic regression analysis indicated that the relative risks (95%CI) of being overweight, high TC/HDL ratio, high Na excretion and lower educational level (<10 years) for risk of HT were 5.39 (2.42-11.98), 1.73 (1.13-2.63), 1.30 (1.06-1.58), and 2.56 (1.41-6.71) respectively. (e) Subjects with the highest educational level had significantly lower Na, significantly lower Na/K ratio excretion, and significantly higher K and Mg excretion values than those with intermediate or low educational levels. In conclusion, BP was strongly associated with BMI, salt intake and other diet-related factors in the study sample. The results emphasize that education plays an important role in public health for the control of high BP in the Chinese population. (Hypertens Res 2002; 25: 559-564)

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