Prevalence of hypertension in a sample of Black American adults using JNC 7 classifications

High blood pressure is a major health problem, particularly among Black Americans, and many Black Americans are unaware that they have the disease. In 2003, new guidelines (JNC 7) were created for classifying blood pressure including a category designated as "pre-hypertension." We examined the prevalence of hypertension based on JNC 7 guidelines in Black Americans from the study of Everyday Life for Black American Adults: Stress, Emotional and Cardiovascular Responses. In this study, 211 (N = 211) participants had no history of hypertension and were not taking anti-hypertensive medications. Demographic factors were also explored in relationship to the JNC 7 classifications. Using JNC 7, only 28.9% of the participants had normal blood pressures. Of those with abnormal blood pressures, 37.8% were pre-hypertensive. Surprisingly, there was a high prevalence of hypertension, which might be explained by a lack of awareness of their disease status, lack of desire to acknowledge it, or fear of having a disease. The pre-hypertension category allows for earlier identification of those at risk for developing hypertension so that early interventions can deter its debilitating effects.