[The Bambui Health and Aging Study (BHAS): factors associated with awareness of hypertension among older adults].

This study aimed to assess factors associated with awareness of hypertension among older adults living in the community. All the 919 hypertensive participants (aged: >or= 60 years) from the baseline cohort in Bambui, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were selected. 76.6% of these individuals did not know that they were hypertensive. The following variables showed both a positive and independent association with awareness of being hypertensive: female gender (OR = 2.04; 1.45-2.87); health perception as bad/very bad (OR = 1.93; 1.16-3.20); attempt to lose weight in the last 12 months (OR = 1.86; 1.14-3.04); number of visits to a doctor during this period (1-3: OR = 2.14; 1.34-3.41; >or= 4: OR = 2.23; 1.76-5.03), and less time elapsed since the last blood pressure measurement (OR = 2.97; 1.69-4.93). A negative association was found for age >or= 80 years (OR = 0.40; 0.24-0.68). These results call our attention to the importance of: 1) access to health services by senior citizens, so that their hypertension is diagnosed and treated and 2) information provided by the health care service, so that individuals are aware of being hypertensive and can receive satisfactory treatment.