Introduction: Hypertension is an important global health concern claiming 7.1
million lives annually. Literacy, as an essential element of the health education, and
its relationship with health has previously been studied. However, few studies have
been conducted on the association between literacy and health outcomes. To assess the
association between educational level and hypertension, awareness and hypertension
control in the north of Iran were the main objectives of this study. Methods: The present
study was a population-based cross-sectional study carried out on 3497 subjects aged
15-65 years using stratified and cluster sampling. Interviewers recorded the data using
a multidimensional questionnaire, including blood pressure level. Blood pressure was
measured three times with 5-minute intervals and defined based on JNC-7. Results:
Totally, 21.2 %(741 cases) of our patients suffered from hypertension and illiterate
people were significantly more aware of their disease (P=0.011). Among the aware
group, at least 89.6% (435 cases) used one method to control their disease; this however
was not statistically significant among the educational levels. Control of hypertension
was significantly greater in college educated group than in illiterate group (32.4% vs.
68.8%; P=0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that illiteracy is a risk factor
for hypertension (P<0.001). Conclusion: In spite of the fact that awareness in illiterate
people was high, the rate of hypertension control was low in this group. Prevention,
detection, treatment, and control of hypertension especially in illiterate people should
receive high priority.