Table 2.
Categories of participants by body mass index (BMI) and hypertension prevalence
| Measure | Total n (%) | Female n (%) | Male n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body mass index category | |||
| Underweight | 27 (14.7) | 18 (15.5) | 9 (13.6) |
| Normal | 121 (65.7) | 79 (66.8) | 42 (63.7) |
| Overweight | 29 (15.8) | 17 (14.4) | 12 (18.2) |
| Obese | 7 (3.8) | 4 (3.4) | 3 (4.5) |
| Blood pressure category | |||
| Normal | 113 (61.4) | 92 (78.0) | 21(32.8)* |
| Prehypertensive | 59 (32.1) | 22 (18.6) | 37 (56.1)* |
| Hypertensive | 12 (6.5) | 4 (3.4) | 8 (12.1)* |
BMI (kg/m2) was categorized as underweight (BMI <18.5), normal (BMI <25), overweight (BMI 25–29.9) and obese (BMI ≥ 30) according to WHO (2000). Blood pressure (mm Hg) was categorized as normal (SBP < 120; DBP < 80), Prehypertensive (SBP 120–139; DBP 80–89) and Hypertensive (SBP ≥ 140; DBP ≥ 90) according to Chobanian et al. [6]. * P < 0.001 when compared with female. P-values are obtained from independent samples t-test