Amirthaveni, M2017-02-202017-02-202015https://ir.avinuty.ac.in/handle/avu/1554Hypertension, also known as high or raised blood pressure, is a global public health issue. It is one of the most common lifestyle diseases today, prevalent in every third person and contributes to the burden o f heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, premature mortality and disability. Hypertension is reported to be the fourth contributor to premature death in developed countries and the seventh in developing countries. Hypertension epidemiological studies from India in the last twenty years have shown that prevalence o f hypertension (diagnosed by systolic BP ^140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP >90 mm Hg) in urban locations has stabilized to about 25-30% but it has increased in rural populations from 15 to 25%. The study wwi taken to assess the prevalence o f hypertension among rural adults and to explore the associated risk factors of hypertension among them. Rural areas from Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, India were selected for the study. Health camps ireri? conducted at the selected areas with help of medical practitioner and 985 were screened for hypertension. The overall prevalence was found to be 26 per cent, where it was slightly higher among men than in women. The per cent of hypertensives in men and women increases with increase in age. Salt intake, alcohol consumption, tobacco usage and smoking were found to be the prevalent associated risk factors o f hypertension.