prevalence and risk factors associated with prehypertension by gender and age in a korean population in the knhanes 2010–2012

background: prehypertension frequently progresses into hypertension and is related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. we studied the prevalence of prehypertension and their determinants by gender and age. methods: the study used nationally representative data from 11,754 participants aged 20–91 years collected between 2010–2012 korea national health and nutrition examination surveys (knhanes). results: prehypertension was more prevalent in men than women (aor = 2.48, ci = 2.11–2.92). aging was positively associated with prehypertension (40-59 vs. 20-39, aor = 1.79, ci = 1.55–2.05; 60+ vs. 20-39, aor = 2.89, ci = 2.35–3.56). in women aged ≥60, prehypertension was associated with wc (aor = 1.04, ci = 1.00–1.07), whereas in both men and women aged 20–39, it was associated with bmi (men, aor = 1.14, ci = 1.04–1.24; women, aor = 1.08, ci = 1.01–1.16). in subjects aged 40–59, age (men, aor = 1.03, ci = 1.01–1.06; women, aor = 1.05, ci = 1.02–1.07) was the significant factor increasing the risk of prehypertension, whereas smoking (men, aor = 0.55, ci = 0.38–0.80; women, aor = 0.43, ci = 0.24–0.76) showed an inverse association with prehypertension. alcohol intake showed a positive association with prehypertension in only men aged 40-59. conclusion: our findings suggest that different gender/age groups may have different patterns of risk factors associated with prehypertension. thus, healthcare providers should consider both gender and age when designing community-based interventions for controlling bp and reducing prehypertension.