Table 1
Characteristics of Sri Lankan adults in the SLHAS 2018–19 hypertension sample (unweighted sample and weighted percentage).
| SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS | UNWEIGHTED N | UNWEIGHTED %/MEAN (SD) | WEIGHTED %/MEAN (SD) | REFERENCE VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (Mean) | 6,342 | 49.9 (17.2) | 43.9 (16.7) | – |
| 18–29 | 932 | 14.7 | 25.1 | 25.1 |
| 30–39 | 1,088 | 17.2 | 20.8 | 20.8 |
| 40–49 | 1,126 | 17.8 | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| 50–59 | 1,101 | 17.4 | 16.2 | 16.2 |
| 60–69 | 1,099 | 17.3 | 11.6 | 11.6 |
| 70–79 | 821 | 13.0 | 6.1 | 6.1 |
| 80+ | 175 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 3,107 | 49.0 | 47.6 | 47.6 |
| Female | 3,235 | 51.0 | 52.4 | 52.4 |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Sinhala | 4,443 | 70.1 | 74.9 | 74.9 |
| Tamil | 1,464 | 23.1 | 15.3 | 15.3 |
| Muslim | 411 | 6.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Other | 24 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Education | ||||
| No formal schooling | 241 | 3.8 | 3.0 | – |
| Primary education | 871 | 13.8 | 10.0 | – |
| Secondary education | 4,959 | 78.3 | 82.4 | – |
| Tertiary education | 259 | 4.1 | 4.6 | – |
| Sector | ||||
| Urban | 1,923 | 30.3 | 22.6 | – |
| Rural | 3,483 | 54.9 | 66.8 | – |
| Estate | 168 | 2.6 | 0.7 | – |
| Rural/estate | 768 | 12.1 | 9.9 | – |
| Province | ||||
| Western | 1,338 | 21.1 | 30.0 | – |
| Central | 929 | 14.6 | 12.5 | – |
| Southern | 812 | 12.8 | 12.3 | – |
| Northern | 678 | 10.7 | 5.0 | – |
| Eastern | 534 | 8.4 | 6.8 | – |
| North-Western | 515 | 8.1 | 11.7 | – |
| North-Central | 459 | 7.2 | 6.1 | – |
| Uva | 452 | 7.1 | 6.1 | – |
| Sabaragamuwa | 625 | 9.9 | 9.7 | – |
| Household SES quintile | ||||
| Poorest | 1,539 | 24.3 | 20.1 | 20.0 |
| Poorer | 1,264 | 19.9 | 20.0 | 20.0 |
| Middle | 1,205 | 19.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 |
| Richer | 1,135 | 17.9 | 19.6 | 20.0 |
| Richest | 1,199 | 18.9 | 20.3 | 20.0 |
| Area SES tertile | ||||
| Least developed | 2,313 | 36.5 | 32.9 | 33.3 |
| Middle | 1,807 | 28.5 | 32.0 | 33.3 |
| Most developed | 2,222 | 35.0 | 35.1 | 33.3 |
| Body mass index (Mean) | 6,342 | 4.6 (17.2) | 23.9 (4.6) | – |
| <25 | 3,928 | 62.4 | 61.0 | – |
| 25–29.9 | 1,794 | 28.5 | 29.3 | – |
| 30+ | 575 | 9.1 | 9.7 | – |
| Systolic BP (Mean ± SD) | 6,342 | 126.5 (19.6) | 124.0 (18.5) | – |
| Diastolic BP (Mean ± SD) | 6,342 | 79.6 (11.8) | 78.7 (11.5) | – |
| Previously diagnosed diabetic | 1,070 | 16.9 | 14.1 | – |
| Previously diagnosed hypertensive | 1,495 | 23.6 | 17.1 | – |
| Taking antihypertensive medication | 1,165 | 18.4 | 12.8 | – |
[i] Notes: In the sector categorization, rural/estate refers to areas that were a mix of rural and estate sectors. Muslim ethnicity combines those who self-identified as Muslim or Malay. Population reference values taken from the 2012 national census statistics and adjusted for demographic change during 2012–2019.
Table 2
Prevalence of hypertension in Sri Lankan adults, SLHAS 2018–19.
| CHARACTERISTICS | HYPERTENSION BY JNC7 % (95% CI) | HYPERTENSION BY ACC/AHA 2017 % (95% CI) | F-STATISTIC (P-VALUE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 28.2 (26.6–29.7) | 51.3 (49.6–53.1) | |
| Age (years) | |||
| 18–29 | 6.7 (4.7–8.7) | 29.8 (26.2–33.3) | 104.7 (<0.001) |
| 30–39 | 14.4 (11.8–17.0) | 39.5 (35.9–43.1) | |
| 40–49 | 27.2 (24.2–30.2) | 55.4 (52.5–58.3) | |
| 50–59 | 40.0 (36.8–43.2) | 64.8 (61.3–68.2) | |
| 60–69 | 56.4 (52.6–60.2) | 74.0 (71.1–76.9) | |
| 70–79 | 68.5 (64.6–72.4) | 80.3 (77.2–83.4) | |
| 80+ | 65.9 (58.0–73.8) | 79.2 (72.0–86.3) | |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 28.1 (25.9–30.3) | 51.8 (49.2–54.4) | 0.0 (0.945) |
| Female | 28.2 (26.4–30.0) | 50.9 (48.7–53.2) | |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Sinhala | 27.1 (25.3–28.9) | 50.0 (48.0–51.9) | 2.32 (0.101) |
| Tamil | 28.5 (24.9–32.2) | 52.8 (47.4–58.1) | |
| Muslim | 35.7 (29.9–41.5) | 59.7 (54.2–65.2) | |
| Other | 37.2 (10.0–64.5) | 61.9 (37.0–86.8) | |
| Education | |||
| No formal schooling | 45.4 (36.2–54.7) | 62.8 (52.9–72.6) | 32.25 (<0.001) |
| Primary education | 42.6 (38.3–46.8) | 61.0 (56.3–65.8) | |
| Secondary education | 26.1 (24.3–27.8) | 50.0 (48.1–51.9) | |
| Tertiary education | 23.6 (17.9–29.4) | 47.2 (39.2–55.2) | |
| Sector | |||
| Urban | 45.4 (36.2–54.7) | 62.8 (52.9–72.6) | 1.83 (0.163) |
| Rural | 42.6 (38.3–46.8) | 61.0 (56.3–65.8) | |
| Estate | 26.1 (24.3–27.8) | 50.0 (48.1–51.9) | |
| Rural/estate | 23.6 (17.9–29.4) | 47.2 (39.2–55.2) | |
| Household SES quintile | |||
| Poorest | 27.2 (24.5–29.8) | 48.6 (45.6–51.7) | 1.25 (0.291) |
| Poorer | 25.9 (22.9–28.9) | 50.5 (47.1–53.9) | |
| Middle | 28.6 (25.5–31.7) | 51.3 (47.2–55.5) | |
| Richer | 29.0 (26.1–32.0) | 52.3 (48.7–56.0) | |
| Richest | 30.1 (26.3–34.0) | 54.0 (49.6–58.3) | |
| Area SES tertile | |||
| Least developed | 25.3 (22.9–27.6) | 48.8 (45.9–51.7) | 8.90 (0.003) |
| Middle | 26.6 (23.9–29.3) | 49.3 (46.0–52.5) | |
| Most developed | 32.3 (29.5–35.1) | 55.6 (52.6–58.7) | |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | |||
| <25 | 23.1 (21.5–24.7) | 42.9 (40.8–45.0) | 4.62 (0.033) |
| 25–29.9 | 34.0 (31.5–36.5) | 62.0 (59.3–64.7) | |
| 30+ | 40.6 (34.9–46.2) | 70.9 (66.2–75.6) | |
| Previously diagnosed diabetic | 53.5 (49.4–57.6) | 74.0 (70.4–77.6) | 187.95 (<0.001) |
| Previously diagnosed hypertensive | 88.2 (85.9–90.4) | 93.7 (91.9–95.4) | 874.45 (<0.001) |
[i] Notes: F-statistic for test of equal prevalence across groups is defined by each characteristic, computed for hypertension defined according to the JNC7 guidelines.
Figure 1
Age/sex-specific profiles of hypertension prevalence in Sri Lankan adults according to JNC7 and ACC/AHA 2017 definitions, SLHAS 2018–2019.
Notes: Panel A displays the smoothed profile of HTN (JNC7) with age, and panel B displays the smoothed profile of HTN (ACC/AHA). Both are estimated using the weighted data for participants aged 18–85 years by fitting restricted cubic splines with six knots to allow for nonlinear relationships. Shaded regions denote 95% confidence intervals.