Abstract

Background: In India, very sparse data are available on the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension among the police force, as a specific occupational group. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hypertension and its associated risk factors among the policemen of a metropolitan city, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. MaterialsandMethods:Atotalof916men(policemen=507,civilian=409)wererandomlyselectedfromdifferentregions of central Kolkata, and the age ranged from 20 to 60 years. Blood pressure, anthropometric parameters, lifestyle pattern, and family history of hypertension were recorded. All statistical computations were performed with SPSS, version 20.0.
Results:Theprevalenceofhypertension[systolicbloodpressure(SBP)X140mmHg,diastolicbloodpressureX90mm Hg, or use of antihypertensive drugs] was observed among 32.5% of policemen, which was significantly higher when compared with the civilians (Po 0.01). Behavioral habits and obesity indices were also higher among the policemen (Po 0.05). Regression analysis identified age, body mass index (BMI), SBP, history of parental hypertension, and consumption of smokeless tobaccoasthe risk factors ofhypertension. Asobtainedfrom receiver-operating characteristics 2 analysis, the suggested cutoff values for BMI were 23.64 (kg/m ), for age 47.53 year, and for SBP 135 mm Hg. Conclusion: The findings revealed that notable numbers of Kolkata-based policemen are hypertensive than civilians and lifestyle modification along with healthcare strategies must be planned for this special population.