Hypertension management in transition: gains, gaps, and growing challenges in a high-altitude multi-ethnic region of China (2019-2024).

Abstract

Background: Hypertension remains a major public health challenge in China, particularly in socioeconomically transitioning regions. This study aims to evaluate changes in hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates between 2019 and 2024 in a Tibetan-predominant area of Sichuan Province.

Methods: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2019 (n = 1,880) and 2024 (n = 1,870). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and age-standardization were applied to enhance comparability. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine disparities across gender, residence, age, and education groups.

Results: Age-standardized hypertension prevalence decreased significantly from 22.86% to 15.53%. Awareness, treatment, and control rates all improved markedly, from 24.63% to 53.43%, 16.08% to 43.93%, and 3.98% to 17.37%, respectively. Health inequities narrowed substantially between urban and rural areas and between genders. However, absolute control rates remained suboptimal (18.14% in 2024). Rising obesity prevalence (5.11% to 11.44%) and persistent gaps in treatment quality were observed.

Conclusions: Substantial progress in hypertension management and health equity was observed in the area between 2019 and 2024. However, persistently low control rates and rising obesity highlight the need to enhance treatment quality and implement integrated cardiovascular risk reduction strategies. These findings provide important insights for chronic disease management in similar transitioning regions.