DHA announces results of survey that highlights the prevalence ofhypertension among Dubai population.
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Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA
One in 15 individualsin Dubai is diagnosed with hypertension (6.7%)
· Among Emiratis,approximately 1 out of 6 individuals is diagnosed with hypertension.
United Arab Emirates, Dubai, August 7, 2012: The Dubai Health Authority announcedtoday key statistical results revealing the prevalence of hypertension amongthe population of Dubai.
The results,which are part of the Dubai Household Health Survey, highlight the percentageof people in Dubai who have hypertension. Thesurvey was based on interviews of 5,000 respondents in Dubai and was jointlyconducted by the DHA and the Dubai Statistics Centre
Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA said, “The results provides adetailed breakdown of the percentage of hypertensive people in the Emirate ofDubai, their age, gender, nationality, income bracket and other parameters thatwill eventually help us in formulating our public health policies anddeveloping our awareness campaigns to target this audience base.”
“Westrongly believe in the importance of this survey, which is the mostcomprehensive health survey that has been conducted in Dubai and we have beenanalysing the data collected to look into all microscopic aspects of health andhealthcare in the Emirate.”
She said theDHA previously provided data on the percentage of the population that exercisesin Dubai,percentage of smokers and the percentage of the population prone to developingcardiovascular diseases.
Previousresults revealed by the survey highlighted that only 19 per cent ofDubai’s population gets sufficient amount of exercise which is requiredto stay healthy and that one in five deaths in Dubai are attributed tocardiovascular diseases. She said: “There is no doubt that asignificant percentage of our population suffers from lifestyle diseases andtherefore it is imperative to continue and intensify our awareness campaignsacross all sections of society to educate them about the importance ofexercising and eating healthy.”
Amal Salim Al Halyan, Senior Research Specialist, Health Policy andStrategy Sector at the DHA said: “Hypertension is known to trigger off diseases such asstroke and cardiovascular diseases so hypertensive people have to be verycareful about their diet and lifestyle.”
Al Halyan saidthat there is a clear link between lack of education and higher prevalence ofhypertension.
Shehighlighted the key findings of the survey, which takes into account severalparameters:
Keyfindings:
One 1 in 15 individuals in Dubai is diagnosed with hypertension (6.7%).
Gender difference between men (6.3%) and women (7.7%) is slight and not statistically significant.
Overall
There is a strong association between age and hypertension that is statistically significant. The prevalence of hypertension in the (40-59) age group is (12.1%) as compared to the highest prevalence in the 60+ age group (31%).
The prevalence of hypertension among UAE nationals (16.9%) is significantly higher than other nationalities. After Emiratis, it is "Other Arabs" Nationalities (9.14%), and the third highest population in Dubai to be hypertensive are Filipinos (6.24%).
There is a strong relationship between hypertension and education level: individuals with no formal education are more likely to be hypertensive (11.6%) as compared to individuals who have completed their graduation and post-graduation. (8.3%).
The prevalence of hypertension in individuals in the highest income group is (15.4%) as compared to those in the lowest income group (5.2%).
UAE Nationalsin Dubai:
Among Emiratis, approximately 1 out of 6 of the population is diagnosed with hypertension.
There is a slight gender difference in the prevalence of hypertension which is not statistically significant. (16.3%) of UAE National males are reported to be diagnosed with hypertension as compared to (17.5%) of UAE National females.
There is a significant strong relationship between education and hypertension. Emirati individuals with no formal education are more hypertensive (45.6%) than Emirati individuals with graduate and post-graduate education (6.7%)
There is no statistical relationship between income and hypertension. UAE Nationals in the lowest income group have nearly similar prevalence of hypertension (21.5%) as compared to individuals in highest income group (20.9%)
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