Evaluation of the index of hypertension in the population of the village of Areia Branca in the municipality of Santana do Ipanema-AL

Abstract

Hypertension is a chronic and non-infectious disease popularly called “high blood pressure” and acts silently. Many people become hypertensive before age 60, causing several health problems, such as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), heart attacks and cardiorespiratory diseases. In this perspective, the present work aimed to carry out a survey of the lifestyle habits of hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals aged between 40 and 70 years and identify through all the answers obtained what is causing people to be hypertensive so early. The research was carried out in the Areia Branca village and neighboring sites in the municipality of Santana do Ipanema. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire built based on risk factors for hypertension, seeking information regarding these individuals' lifestyle habits, as well as their level of knowledge about the importance of such factors for disease control. The sample was built by 100 individuals of both sexes, 50 hypertensive and 50 non-hypertensives. The analysis criteria of the collected data were included in an Excel spreadsheet, for a better understanding. The results obtained showed that there are factors that can cause the disease, but among those that were placed in the spreadsheet, we can highlight some that are more relevant, including high salt consumption, excess caffeine, and frequent alcohol intake, in addition to lack of exercise is also a contributing factor.