ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper (the second of two) is to present the basic results of a cross-sectional study on arterial hypertension in adults in Ilha do Governador (a district of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), with a representative sample of the population, stratified by the census tracts' mean household income (low, median, and high). Overall, prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in Ilha do Governador was 16.1% (C.I. of 95%: 13.4 to 18.9%), and with the inclusion of controlled hypertensive individuals this figure rose to 24.9% (C I. of 95%: 21.7 to 28.7%). Under both criteria (whether including controlled hypertensive individuals or not), higher prevalences were from low-income strata, while lower ones were from the high-income strata. However, it was only possible to reject the hypothesis of strata homogeneity of prevalences (including controlled hypertensives), and even then at a 10% level of significance, when the confounding effect of age was adjusted. Proportionally, women with hypertension appear to control their blood pressure levels better than men in all age brackets.
