Association between central obesity and hypertension among women aged > 18 years based on the 2023 Indonesian health survey

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hypertension is a global health problem with a continually increasing prevalence, including in Indonesia, where women have a higher prevalence than men. Central obesity also has a high prevalence among women and is known to be one of the important modifiable factors associated with hypertension. This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey, involving 6,450 women aged > 18 years. Survey-weighted analyses were conducted to account for the complex sampling design of the survey. Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) and 95 percent confidence interval (CI) for the association between central obesity and hypertension. The results showed that the prevalence of hypertension and central obesity among Indonesian women were 34.84 percent and 60.06 percent, respectively. Women with central obesity had a significantly higher prevalence ratio of hypertension (aPR = 1.52; 95 percent CI:1.49–1.55). This association remained significant regardless of comorbidity status but was stronger among women without comorbidities. The PAF indicated that 23.80 percent of hypertension cases among Indonesian women could theoretically be attributed to central obesity, highlighting its substantial population-level impact. These findings support more targeted hypertension prevention strategies by prioritizing central obesity prevention to reduce the burden of hypertension among Indonesian women.