| Summary: | Background: The search for risk factors of hypertension requires the study of large populations. Sometimes, the only feasible way of studying these populations is to rely on self-reported data of the outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate validity of self-reported diagnosis of
hypertension in a cohort of university graduates in Spain.
Methods: The Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) Study is a cohort of more than 15,000 university graduates in Spain. We selected a random sample of 79 cohort participants who reported a diagnosis of hypertension and 48 participants who did not report such diagnosis (76% participation proportion). Then, we compared information on the self-reported diagnosis of
hypertension and hypertension status as assessed through two personal blood pressure
measurements and an interview. Additionally, we compared self-reported and measured blood
pressure levels with intraclass correlation coefficients and the survival-agreement plot.
Results: From those 79 reporting a diagnosis of hypertension, 65 (82.3%, 95% CI 2.8–92.8) were confirmed through conventional measurement of blood pressure and the interview. From those 48 that did not report a diagnosis of hypertension, 41 (85.4%, 95% CI 72.4–89.1) were confirmed as non hypertensives. Results were similar among men and women, but were worse for overweight
and obese individuals, and for those with a family history of hypertension. The greement between self-reported and measured blood pressure levels (as a continuous variable), as estimated by the intraclass correlation coefficient, was 0.35 for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Conclusion: Self-reported hypertension among highly educated participants in a cohort study is a relatively valid tool to assess the hypertensive status of participants. However, the investigators should be cautious when using self-reported blood pressure values.
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