Hypertension has a strong association with stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes and kidney

disease. Many premature deaths were attributed to hypertension. In a new study published on The Lancet,
hypertension is directly linked to 8.5 million deaths worldwide every year suffered from stroke and
cardiovascular diseases. Based on measured data from the 2017–18 Australian Bureau of Statistics National
Health Survey, about 1 in 3 people aged 18 and over (34%) have high blood pressure.This includes 23% with
uncontrolled high blood pressure and 11% whose blood pressure was controlled using medications (cited from
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/high-blood-pressure/contents/high-blood-pressure). This data
suggested that hypertension is not a condition of a few individuals but a serious and fatal health problem of the
population with many negative impacts on the communities.
Since hypertension is not an acute but a chronic condition, gradually developing over time, people are prone to
be unaware or ignore this condition. The unawareness is the main cause of fatal health problem mentioned
above. There is a emphasis on the fact that hypertension is able to be preventable and the treatment is
affordable. According to Australia healthdirect website, hypertension can be prevented by getting rid of bad
habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol; maintaining a healthy weight with BMI from 18.5 to 24.9; following
healthy diet and taking physical activity more frequently.