Mars vs Venus: Urban men suffer more from hypertension than women

Men in urban areas suffer more than women from hypertension and its prevalence is highest in Kerala.

According to a report of the city-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), men in urban areas suffer more than women from hypertension and its prevalence is highest in Kerala.

It also mentions that nearly 16 % of men in the country smoke tobacco and 30 % consume alcohol. A study on these aspects was conducted by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB). The findings of the study formed the basis of a report compiled by NIN, which comes under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The report, titled ‘Diet and nutritional status of urban population in India and prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and its associated non-communicable diseases’, was released here last week. As per the report, around 31 % of urban men suffer from hypertension as compared to 26 % women.

In Kerala, the prevalence of hypertension was highest (31 % to 39 %) while in Bihar, it was the lowest (16 % to 22 %), said the report. Also, around 16 % men in the country smoke tobacco while 30 % consume alcohol, it said.

The report also said that around 22 % men suffer from diabetes as compared to 19 % women. “It was significantly associated with (being) overweight, obesity, physical inactivity and hyperlipidaemia (abnormally elevated levels of any or all lipids or lipoproteins in the blood),” it said.

Anthropometry is the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of human body. The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) was established in 1972 by the ICMR.

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