Factors associated with hypertension among the elderly in Kudat, Malaysia

Hypertension among the elderly population aged 60 years and above in Malaysia was estimated to be around 69.2%. The high association of hypertension with morbidity and mortality among older communities warranted targeted public health interventions. Hence, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension and its related factors among the elderly in a rural area in Kudat, Sabah.

This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of hypertension, including previously known and newly diagnosed cases, and the associated factors among the elderly aged 60 and older living in the rural part of Sabah. The study was conducted on 700 elderly people living in Kudat using selfadministered and interviewer-assisted JAGES questionnaires and physical status measurements from January to March 2023. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the association between sociodemographic and physical factors with hypertension among the elderly.

The prevalence of hypertension among elderly dwelling in Kudat, Sabah was approximately 80.3% (95% CI: 77.35, 83.25), slightly higher than the national prevalence. The findings also indicated that older age group (aOR=3.2; 95% CI: 1.548, 6.489), higher BMI (aOR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.170, 2.997) abnormal waist circumference (aOR=2.5; 95% CI: 1.573, 4.022), and active smoking (aOR=2.4; 95% CI: 1.281, 4.626) were significantly associated with hypertension among the elderly community.

Focused and targeted prevention, intervention, and management of hypertension for the elderly, especially those dwelling in rural areas, should be constructed to tackle the issue of high prevalence of hypertension among them, thus reducing morbidity and mortality related to elderly hypertension towards healthy ageing.