Abstract
Many risk factors have been listed that predispose to the occurrence of high blood pressure (BP). Although high body mass index (BMI) is a recognized risk factor for hypertension, the cutoff value for the high BMI was not taken into consideration as a predictor risk. There is no clear data on the occurrence of hypertension in Iraq in the highly educated population. Moreover, studies on hypertension in Iraq have been limited to a few studies. To assess and study the prevalence of BP in the academic population of Babylon city, a prospective study of 100 people was conducted. In the course of 3 months, during their work at the university in the morning, the questionnaire was filled out along with the body weight measurement. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to measure the maximum area under the curve for the BMI score. Outcomes demonstrated that despite the high level of education, the prevalence of hypertension remains unacceptable. Awareness raising about the risk factors should be addressed through ongoing health education in health sectors and media. BMI of more than 25 could be considered a predictable risk value.