THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WAIST-HIP CIRCUMFERENCE RATIO (WHR) AND HYPERTENSION AMONG ELDERLY IN THE WORKING AREA OF WIRE HEALTH CENTER, TUBAN REGENCY

Abstract

Hypertension often occurs in individuals over 60 years of age, influenced by the Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR), which reflects the distribution of body fat, especially visceral fat, as well as age-related changes such as increased body fat and decreased muscle mass. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the Waist-Hip Circumference Ratio (WHR) and hypertension among the elderly in the Wire Health Center area, Tuban Regency. This study used an analytical observational method with a cross-sectional approach. The population was 276 elderly people in the working area of Wire Health Center, Tuban, with a sample of 163 elderly people over 60 years old who were randomly selected using a simple random sampling technique. The research instruments included measuring WHR with a measuring tape and blood pressure with an aneroid sphygmomanometer. Data analysis was performed using the Spearman correlation test with SPSS software version 22 for Windows. The results showed that only 1 respondent (1.6%) with a safe Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) was classified as having prehypertension. In contrast, most respondents with a waist-hip ratio in the risk category, namely 49 people (50.5%), had grade 2 hypertension. The analysis indicated a significant association between Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR) and hypertension, with a p-value of 0.001 and a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.267. The higher the waist-hip ratio (WHR), the greater the risk of hypertension in the elderly.