Combined effect of obesity and low physical performance on the incidence of hypertension in Chinese community-dwelling older population

The combination of having a low physical performance and obesity results in a vicious cycle, but the effect of this combination on the incidence of hypertension is still unknown. This article aims to examine the effect of obesity and low physical performance on the incidence of hypertension in older adults. The sample was comprised of 349 Chinese community-dwelling participants (199 women; mean age 66.30 ± 5.78 years) without hypertension at baseline. Obesity was defined as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 28 kg/m2. Participants scoring in the top 20% on the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) or in the slowest 20% of the 4-m walking test were defined as having a low physical performance. The outcome was new onset hypertension at the 1-year follow-up. We found that 89 (25.5%) of the 349 participants without hypertension at baseline had developed hypertension at their 1-year follow-up. After multivariate adjustments, it was found that the incidence of hypertension was associated with the combination of obesity and having a low physical performance (OR = 7.30, 95% CI = 1.36–39.11), but not solely with obesity (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 0.68–2.88) or solely with low physical performance (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.29–3.27). Hence, although obesity and low physical performance did not independently affect the incidence of hypertension after one year, the combination of the two can significantly increase the incidence of hypertension in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.