Is Migration Affecting Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control of Hypertension of Men in Kerala, India?

We assessed hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment and control among male gulf migrant and non-migrant workers in Kerala state of India. We did a cross sectional survey of 191 migrant and 193 non-migrant men aged 25-64 years selected using a multistage random sampling method. Using World Health Organization STEPS approach, we collected information on demographics, STEP 1 variables and measured STEP-2 variables. Multivariate analysis was used to find the relation between migration and hypertension. Age adjusted hypertension prevalence was 57.6 % among migrants and 31.7 % among non-migrants (p < 0.05). Migrants were more likely to be hypertensive (OR 3.00, 95 % CI 1.83-4.94) than non-migrants after adjusting for age, STEP 1 and STEP 2 variables. Though not statistically significant (p = 0.109), awareness of hypertension was lower among migrants (43.5 %) compared to non migrants (56.9 %). Treatment (migrants: 34 %, non-migrants: 53 %, p < 0.05) and control (migrants: 12 %, non-migrants: 48 %, p < 0.001) of hypertension were lower among migrants. Greater attention to improve the treatment and control of hypertension among migrants is warranted in this population.