(P02-103-25) Diet Quality and Hypertension Control Among Peruvian Adults Living at High-Altitude

Objectives: Diet quality plays a key role in the management of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension. We aimed to characterize diet quality and determine its association with hypertension control in adults with hypertension participating in the Addressing Hypertension and Diabetes through Community-Engaged Systems (ANDES) trial in Puno, Peru.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, ancillary study in a sub-sample of participants from the ANDES trial. Dietary intake data were collected using 24-hour recalls and we estimated diet quality using the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) for each participant and categorized into quartiles. We assessed blood pressure using a digital tensiometer and defined hypertension control using the SBP/DBP of 140/90 mmHg threshold, among participants who were taking medication. We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine the association between diet quality quartiles and hypertension control, adjusted for age, sex, wealth score, food security status, hypertension treatment adherence, BMI, physical activity and alcohol consumption.

Results: We enrolled 151 participants with (mean age 66.5 years, 52.3% females). Mean (± SD) overall GDQS score was 15.8 (± 3.4) out of 49 points (range of scores from 8.3 to 28.3). The mean score was 5.9 ± 2.8 for healthy food groups out of 32, and 9.8 ± 1.8 for unhealthy food groups out of 17; higher scores indicate better diet quality for both groups. Low scores for healthy food groups were due to low intake of deep orange fruits, cruciferous vegetables and deep orange tubers, whereas higher scores for unhealthy food groups were due to low intake of processed meat and purchased deep-fried foods. No statistically significant association was reported between GDQS quartiles and having controlled hypertension (OR: 1.06, 95%CI: 0.77, 1.46, p-trend=0.702).

Conclusions: To our knowledge, we are the first to report use of the GDQS in Peru. We found poor diet quality among Peruvian adults with hypertension, which was characterized by low intake of healthy food groups. Inferences are based on the GDQS distribution in our study participants and larger samples are needed to better understand the impact of diet quality on hypertension control.

Funding Sources: D43-funded Fogarty Research training grant