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Association between body mass index changes and short- and long-term outcomes of hypertension in a Chinese rural cohort study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) changes on hypertension among rural areas of China. A population-based sample of 13,263 and 5944 rural Chinese people aged ≥35 years and without hypertension at baseline was included in our analysis of BMI changes (from (2004–2006) to 2008) and short- and long-term outcomes of hypertension (from 2008 to 2010 and 2010 to 2017). The participants were divided into four groups by a comprehensive cross-sectional combination according to baseline BMI (18.5–24 vs. ≥24 kg/m2) and follow-up changes (decreased vs. increased). Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). During a median follow-up period of 4.8 (short-term) and 11.7 (long-term) years, 2299 (17.33%) and 2020 (33.98%) participants developed hypertension, respectively. For participants with a baseline BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2, when BMI decreased in follow-ups, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CI) of short-term hypertension were 0.898 (0.857–0.942). For baseline 18.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 24 kg/m2, when BMI increased in follow-ups, the risks of short-term hypertension were 1.103 (1.068–1.139). We detected that BMI changes had a lower impact on the incidence of hypertension in long-term than short-term. Our study indicated that BMI changes were significantly associated with the incidence of hypertension for the short-term, and it had a stronger impact on short-term outcomes than long-term. Managing weight by lifestyle modification was particularly important for the primary prevention of hypertension in rural Chinese population.

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Acknowledgements

All of the investigators and staff members were gratefully acknowledged. Thanks for all the enthusiastic participants.

Funding

This research was partly supported by funds from National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 81773510), National Key R&D Program of China (Grant #2017YFC1307600), and National Key R&D Program of China (Grant #2018YFC1311600).

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Correspondence to Yingxian Sun or Liqiang Zheng.

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Gao, Z., Wang, Y., Dai, Y. et al. Association between body mass index changes and short- and long-term outcomes of hypertension in a Chinese rural cohort study. J Hum Hypertens 34, 593–601 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-019-0276-x

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