Published: 2nd Nov, 2023
Context:
Recently, a district-wise analysis on hypertension has been conducted which flags disparities in care in India.
- Also, according to a recent WHO report, 3 million people in India suffer from hypertension but only 37% get diagnosed, only 30% start treatment, and only 15% manage to keep their blood pressure under control.
About the study:
- It is the first time that data on hypertension was analysed district-wise.
- Published by: The district-level study, published in JAMA Network, a journal published by the American Medical Association, was conducted by AIIMS Delhi and scientists from Europe and the US who used the hypertension data from NFHS-5, the fifth round report of which was released in May 2022.
- A dashboard was created as a part of the study and has gender-wise, area-wise educational levels data on hypertension.
- Significance:
- The district-wise level analysis was important as the many state-level analyses done earlier did not highlight “the heterogeneity” within states, even those considered better-performing states.
- And with the new dashboard, every district can now analyses their data according to gender and socio-demographic disparities.
Key Findings
- The study estimated that at least 6 million deaths in India can be prevented by 2040 if half of those with the condition manage to keep their blood pressure under control.
- In Karnataka, four districts — Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Udupi and Chitradurga — have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of participants diagnosed and treated in Chikmagalur and Udupi was higher.
- In Meghalaya, the five districts of Garo Hills, the two districts of Jaintia Hills and the three districts of Khasi Hills all have a similar prevalence of hypertension, but the proportion of those diagnosed is much lower in Garo Hills than in Jaintia Hills and Khasi Hills.
- More significantly, the study found, there were substantial variations across districts in;
- Blood pressure diagnosis (range: 6.3%-77.5%),
- Treatment (range: 8.7%-97.1%) and
- Control (range: 2.7%-76.6%).
- Raising a red flag, the researchers said that the national mean values of hypertension “hide considerable” variation at the district level.
Recommendations:
- The findings of the study showed that despite health being a state subject, there was a need for more autonomy at the district level.
- Another key finding of the study was the importance of screening hypertension and diabetes using local healthcare workers, including ASHA workers.
- It highlighted the urgent need for a more “targeted” approach to fight the medical condition often referred to as the “silent killer”.
- It recommended a critical public health strategy to improve care — “targeted, decentralised solutions” at the district level.
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