Correlation between anthropometric measurements and hypertension in Oman

Introduction: Evidence that hypertension is related to increase in body fat is well established in literature. Evidence gathered from several studies shows that central obesity is a greater risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Oman has witnessed an epidemiological transition to non-communicable diseases. Objectives: The objective of the study was to examine the correlation between different anthropometric indicators and hypertension in Omani adults. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 adults participated in this study after taking informed consent from them. All participants underwent blood pressure and anthropometric measurements using standard procedures. The population study was separated in males and females and the effect of anthropometric measurements was compared for normotensive and hypertensive population. Correlation of anthropometric measurements with mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed. Results: Mean values of all anthropometric measurements were significantly higher in hypertensive compared to people with normal blood pressure across both the gender. In both males and females; hip circumference, waist circumference, waist height ratio and BMI had significant strong positive correlation with mean systolic blood pressure (p<0 r=0.310), r=0.283), r=0.273), r=0.260).> Conclusion: Simple anthropometric measurements like hip circumference, waist circumference and waist height ratio can be used to predict hypertension in both males and females.