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Associations between weight gain and incident hypertension in a bi-ethnic cohort: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

International Journal of Obesity volume 26, pages 58–64 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between weight gain and changes in blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension in four ethnicity-gender groups.

DESIGN: Longitudinal closed cohort studied over an average of 6 y.

SUBJECTS: Total of 9309 white and African-American men and women 45–64 y of age who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

METHODS: Weight and blood pressure were measured at baseline and after an average of 3 and 6 y of follow-up. Proportional hazard models with weight gain as a time-dependent variable were used to examine the association between weight gain and changes in blood pressure and hypertension. Multivariate models were used with baseline SBP, DBP, age, BMI, height, WHR, smoking, physical activity, education, caloric intake, fat intake and study center as covariates.

RESULTS: Weight gain was associated with increases in SBP and DBP in all groups. Hazard ratios for hypertension associated with 1 kg annual weight gain were 1.36 (95% CI, 1.29, 1.45) in white women, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03, 1.21) in African-American women, 1.35 (95% CI, 1.27, 1.43) in white men and 1.43 (95% CI, 1.27,1.61) in African-American men.

CONCLUSION: Weight gain was associated with increased blood pressure and increased incidence of hypertension. The association was weaker among African-American women compared to other ethnicity-gender groups.

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Acknowledgements

The ARIC Study was funded by contracts N01-HC-55015, N01-HC-55016, N01-HC-55018, N01-HC-55019, N01-HC-55020, N01-HC-55021 and N01-HC-55022 from the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The authors thank the staff and participants in the ARIC study for their important contributions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    Juhaeri, J Stevens, HA Tyroler & W Rosamond

  2. Department of Statistics and Primate Research Center, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia

    Juhaeri

  3. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    J Stevens

  4. Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

    LE Chambless

  5. Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    FJ Nieto

  6. Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA

    P Schreiner & D Arnett

  7. Division of Hypertension and the Center for Excellence in Cardiovascular-Renal Research, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA

    DW Jones

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  1. Juhaeri
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  2. J Stevens
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  3. LE Chambless
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  4. HA Tyroler
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  7. P Schreiner
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Correspondence to J Stevens.

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Juhaeri, Stevens, J., Chambless, L. et al. Associations between weight gain and incident hypertension in a bi-ethnic cohort: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Int J Obes 26, 58–64 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801846

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