Updated: February, 2024

Author: Chronic Disease Program, Vermont Department of Health

This indicator, or population measure, is part of our Healthy Vermonters 2030 data set. Read more about how this data helps us understand and improve the well-being of people in Vermont on the Healthy Vermonters 2030 webpage.

Because this data is meant to show how the health of our state changes during the decade from 2020-2030, some indicators may have very few data points for now. Keep checking back to see the progress our public health system and partners are making.

We want to see the percent of adults with chronic kidney disease who also have high blood pressure to go down to 59% or lower by 2030.

Because the first year that data about % of adults age 18 and older with chronic kidney disease who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure were available was 2020, that is our baseline for this indicator. However, it is unclear the degree to which the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced recent outcomes so a more accurate trend will appear as we collect more data through the rest of the decade.

Vermont’s observed decline in this data since 2020 indicates improvement in preventing or delaying progression of CKD and, possibly, indicates reduction in hypertension as the primary cause of CKD.

Kidneys are the organs responsible for removing waste and excess water from the body. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the last stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and occurs when the kidneys are no longer able to meet the body’s needs for waste and water removal.

Hypertension is the clinical term for describing high blood pressure. A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers written as a ratio like this: 120/80. The top number, called the systolic pressure, measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (when the heart muscle contracts). The bottom number, called the diastolic pressure, measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (when the heart muscle is resting between beats and refilling with blood). Normal blood pressure is considered a blood pressure reading under 120/80.

Looking for more data?

• See previous data about overall adult hypertension from our 2020 Scorecards.
• See the related national Healthy People 2030 objective for the proportion of adults with high blood pressure.

Controlling high blood pressure is a Healthy People 2030 Leading Health Indicator. It is a high priority objective to drive action toward improving overall health and well-being.

Progression to End-stage renal disease (ESRD) decreases quality of life, increases healthcare costs, and leads to premature death. Diabetes and poorly controlled high blood pressure are the most common causes of ESRD. About one out of two adults aged 30 - 64 is expected to develop chronic kidney disease during their lifetime. Learn more about chronic kidney disease from the CDC website.

The growing prevalence of childhood obesity leading to earlier onset of type 2 diabetes is expected to increase the incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the progression to ESRD at earlier ages during a person’s lifetime.

Hypertension is significantly more likely among adults with any disability, poor mental health, low or middle socioeconomic status (SES) compared to a high SES, and among those living in a small rural town compared to an urban one.

Adults with hypertension are significantly less likely to consume the recommended amount of vegetables and are significantly more likely to have no leisure time physical activity than those who do not have hypertension. This may correlate with reduced access to fruits, vegetables, and physical activity opportunities among those disproportionately affected by hypertension. 

Because the burden of hypertension is disproportionately carried by some populations, approaches to improving outcomes for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) can prioritize access to nutrition and physical activity opportunities to prevent or manage hypertension. 

Vermont tracks risk behaviors and chronic disease using a telephone survey of adults called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Since 1990, Vermont, along with the 49 other states, Washington D.C. and U.S. territories, has participated in the BRFSS with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC and other program funders and partners provide the resources for the Department of Health to carry out the BRFSS survey in Vermont.

Learn more about the BRFSS methodology.

This measure reports the prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure) among non-institutionalized Vermont adults ages 18 and older who reported that a healthcare provider has ever diagnosed them with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Hypertension guidelines changed in November 2017, when the new guidelines were jointly released by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology. The old hypertension guidelines stated that someone with a blood pressure reading 140/90 and above had high blood pressure. The new guidelines say that anyone with blood pressure over 120/80 has elevated blood pressure.