PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF PRE-HYPERTENSION AND HYPERTENSION AMONG EARLY-CAREER HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

Objective: This study aims to assess the prevalence of pre-hypertension, hypertension, and associated risk factors among early-career healthcare professionals in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 513 students. Participants were interviewed using questionnaires, their blood pressure (BP), height, weight were measured, and Body Mass Index ‘BMI’ were calculated. Repeated measurements were obtained two successive times in students with persistently elevated BP. Data obtained was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 23. Final prevalence was adjusted for loss-to-follow up on participants with first elevated BP from the reading and logistic regression used to evaluate associated risk factors. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The findings revealed that 33.13% of participants were pre-hypertensive (76.5% male, 23.5% female) and 3.51% hypertensive (44.7% male, 55.3% female). Key pre-hypertension risk factors included family history (78.4%), overweight (17.3%), obesity (4.7%), migraine (30%), and asthma (14.2%). For hypertension included screen usage (43.5%), hormonal imbalance (44.6%), smoking (13%), low fruit intake (42.9%), low water consumption (48.3%), depression (44%), and stress (47%). Conclusion: The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension among early-career professionals highlights the impact of inadequate health awareness, unhealthy lifestyles, and delayed diagnosis. Addressing these issues through targeted awareness campaigns, lifestyle interventions, and timely diagnosis can help mitigate this growing public health concern.