Objective To describe the epidemiological characteristics and the control effect of hypertension in Liaoning area.Methods 8 452 Residents aged 15 and above 7 districts,Liaoning province,were selected with the multistage clustering sampling in 2002.Trained staff conducted the investigation on their economic status,gender,occupation,education,marriage,smoking,drinking,occupational physical activities and so on.Blood pressure,height,weight and waist circumstance were also measured.Results The blood pressure of all subjects was(126?22)/(79?12)mm Hg,with(127?11)/(80?11) mm Hg in urban residents and(125?21)/(78?12) mm Hg in rural residents,while(128?21)/(80?12)mm Hg in male and(125?23)/(78?11)mm Hg in female.The general prevalence of hypertension was 29.4%,and the general standardized rate of hypertension was 22.5%.The prevalent rate in city(32.3%) was higher than that in city(25.4%)(P