Hypertension prevention attitudes and propensity to achieve a healthy lifestyle in young and middle-aged adults at increased risk: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: H Hypertension is the most significant modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to determine attitudes toward hypertension prevention, examine their relationship with the propensity to achieve a healthy lifestyle, and identify sociodemographic and health-related predictors in young and middle-aged adults. METHODS: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 351 adults without diagnosed hypertension who had at least one chronic condition associated with increased hypertension risk. Data were collected via an online survey between February and August 2025 using a validated self-report survey comprising the Demographic Information Form, the Attitudes Scale towards Prevention of Hypertension, and the Propensity to Achieve Healthy Lifestyle Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple linear regression were used to analyze relationships and correlates, with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age was 30.73 ± 11.20 years; 67.8% were female. The mean Attitudes Scale towards Prevention of Hypertension score was 106.37 ± 12.31 (range 26-130), indicating a positive attitude, while the mean Propensity to Achieve Healthy Lifestyle scale score was 18.93 ± 4.96, a moderate level. A significant, low-level positive correlation was found between the two scales (r = 0.186; p < 0.001). Three variables were independently associated with preventive attitudes, explaining 17.5% of the variance (all p < 0.05): elementary education (β = -0.280), no previous hypertension education (β = -0.175), and higher propensity to achieve a healthy lifestyle (β = 0.153). The propensity to achieve a healthy lifestyle accounted for a small but significant increment over sociodemographic and health variables alone (ΔR 2 = 0.022, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Although preventive attitudes were generally positive in this at-risk, normotensive sample, perceived readiness and self-efficacy for lifestyle change remained only moderate, indicating a discordance between attitude and readiness rather than a demonstrated attitude-behavior gap, since behavior itself was not measured. Educational level and structured hypertension education showed the strongest associations with preventive attitudes, underscoring the importance of early preventive interventions prioritizing groups with lower educational levels. As the design was cross-sectional, these associations should not be interpreted causally.