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Prevalence and associated factors of undiagnosed hypertension among women aged 15–49 years in India: an analysis of National Family Health Survey-4 data

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 38, pages 245–256 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases globally. Fortunately, there is a vast armamentarium of effective therapeutic options at our disposal so undiagnosed hypertension represents a missed opportunity. In a previous analysis [1] of the NFHS-4 dataset for the prevalence and risk factors for undiagnosed hypertension and its associated risk factors among Indian women aged 15–49 years, we had overestimated prevalence by inclusion of self-reported cases. We have since retracted when this anomaly was highlighted [2]. We have now re-analyzed the same database and here present these data. The current analysis shows that the overall prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 8.05% among women aged 15–49 years in India. In rural areas, it was 7.89% compared with 8.38% for urban areas. Factors associated with undiagnosed hypertension in rural and urban areas were age, BMI, wealth quintiles, educational level, religion, caste and geographical zones. Nearly half the women aged 15–49 years in India with hypertension are unaware and this has implications for personal and reproductive health.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the DHS repository. The DHS website provides access to data on submission and approval for a proposal of study. DHS website: http://dhsprogram.com/data/new-user-registration.cfm.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Vrijesh Tripathi

  2. Department of Medical Research, Mkhitar Gosh Armenian-Russian International University, 3, 7 Sebastia Street, Yerevan, 0099, Armenia

    Debjyoti Talukdar

  3. Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Mallika Tripathi

  4. Department of Clinical Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    Surujpal Teelucksingh

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Contributions

VT and DT conceived and designed the study, analyzed the data, and prepared the first draft; ST and MT reviewed study results and write up.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vrijesh Tripathi.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethics approval

The NFHS-4 (2015–16) survey strictly adhered to internationally recognized ethical guidelines for medical research [15]. This study is based on publicly available DHS data, which contains no identifiable information about survey participants, thereby rendering it exempt from the requirement of ethical review.

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Tripathi, V., Talukdar, D., Tripathi, M. et al. Prevalence and associated factors of undiagnosed hypertension among women aged 15–49 years in India: an analysis of National Family Health Survey-4 data. J Hum Hypertens 38, 245–256 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-023-00876-0

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