Determinants of Essential Hypertension among Young Adults in Suburban and Urban Areas in Semarang City, Indonesia

Essential hypertension was the most common noncommunicable disease in Semarang City, Indonesia. There is a tendency for the increasing prevalence of hypertension among people living in urban areas compared to suburban/ rural areas. Essential hypertension is no longer as a disease of the elderly, but has also become a disease of middle-aged adults This study aimed to determine the determinants of essential hypertension among young adults in suburban and urban areas in Semarang City, Indonesia. This study was a case control with 139 cases and 139 controls selected by simple random sampling. The instruments of this study were structured questionnaires, IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), Holmes scale, and food frequency. Chi-square tests was done. The variables that are statistically significant with essential hypertension among young adults in suburban and urban areas are sex (OR: 2.6; 95% CI: 1.53-4.42), obesity (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.71-4.92), smoking habits (OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.19-4.48), physical activity (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.23-3.45), salt consumption (OR: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.37-4.27), and stress (OR: 3.22; 95% CI: 1.69-6.29). Keywords— essential hypertension, determinants, young adult