[Obesity, hypertension, and socioeconomic status in western Santa Catarina, Brazil].

OBJECTIVE This research was aimed at evaluating the relationship between obesity, socioeconomic status and high blood pressure (HBP) in volunteers living in western Santa Catarina, Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS 955 volunteers were evaluated; 31 % were male (aged 51.0±12.8 years old a weighing 78.4±13.6 kg) and 69 % female (aged 50.0±12.5 years old and weighing 69.8±13.4kg). Individuals having ≥140 mmHg systolic blood pressures (SBP) and ≥ 90 mmHg diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were classified as being hypertensive and those having ≥ 30 kg/m² body mass index (BMI) as being obese. RESULTS HBP prevalence in this study was 35.1 % among males and 29.4 % in women. The percentage of men classified as having borderline HBP was also higher than that for women (20.9 % cf 16.7 %); 25.7 % of HBP women and 34.6 % HBP males were overweight and 48.3 % HBP women and 56.9 % males were obese. HBP distribution regarding socioeconomic status (high, middle and low income) had greater variation amongst women (cero %, 27.5 % and 37.3 %, respectively) than men (30.4 %, 36.2 % and 30.1 %, respectively). CONCLUSION This study provided consistent evidence of obesity being associate with HBP. Although this fact is widely known, what should be taken into consideration here is HBP regarding BMI category; normal, overweight and obese volunteers differed substantially between the genders.