Cross sectional study on the association among hypertension with obesity indicators and dietary patterns of fishing community at coastal regions in India

Background and aim One of the main factors of sickness and disability around the world is hypertension and obesity is the main predictor of hypertensive condition. A few population-based studies on fishermen in West Bengal, India, evaluated the association between anthropometric parameters, nutritional intake, and obesity indicators with blood pressure (BP). The present investigation aims to explore the association between obesity indicators and nutrient consumption with blood pressure. Methods In the present study, a number of 1202 male fishermen (ages 25–60 years) from West Bengal's coastal areas, took their anthropometric measurements, BP values, and nutritional intake using standard techniques. The cut-off values of body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (BF%) correlated with hypertension were determined by using receiver operating characteristic analysis. The statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 20) and MedCalc statistical software (version 20.115). Results The study showed that most of the anthropometric parameters were higher in the control group than the fishermen, and most of the fishermen remain in normotensive conditions. Obesity indicators were significantly high in hypertensive individuals. Increasing of the obesity indicators were associated with hypertensive condition. In the case of nutrient intake, only fat and oil intake had a significant positive correlation with an increase in BP. This finding also suggests that the BMI and BF% cut off values were associated with hypertension. Conclusion This study suggests that the increasing value of BMI and the cut-off value of BMI and BF% of this study are all potential risk factors for hypertension.