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Withings Health Observatory

Thanks to the power of connected devices, Withings is able to provide a national health observatory accessible to the general public. Using real-time data, this tool allows us to track the prevalence of key risk factors linked to lifestyle: sedentary behavior, overweight and obesity, and high blood pressure.

The observatory invites you to discover exclusive data and information gathered from the Withings community. Which American states are most affected by sedentary behaviors or by overweight and obesity? Are all age groups affected? Check out the informative graphs and charts of the Withings Health Observatory to learn more about health behaviors and different lifestyles across the US.

The observatory of blood pressure

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hypertension is the leading cause of death in the world. 51% and 45% of deaths associated with stroke and ischemic heart disease (reduced blood flow to the heart), respectively, can be attributed to hypertension1.

The French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) adds that hypertension is the most frequently occurring form of cardiovascular disease, affecting approximately 20% of the world's adult population. Despite the scale of the phenomenon, hypertension frequently remains a “silent” epidemic" as a majority of people who have hypertension are unaware not only of its risks, but more importantly unaware that they have it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that about one in five adults in the United States is unaware of having high blood pressure and would not report having it.

Given this context, it is necessary to inform a broader public about this issue, in order to bring about genuine awareness of its existence. To help increase knowledge about this important health issue, Withings has introduced a tool that monitors blood pressure levels of Americans in real time.

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the power or pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries. It is expressed in two values, the systolic pressure (SBP) and the diastolic pressure (DBP). The first corresponds to the pressure when the heart contracts (systole), pumping blood in the arteries towards the lungs. The second designates the pressure exerted by the flow of blood when the ventricles expand (diastole) in order to collect blood channeled to the atrial chambers by the pulmonary veins and vena cava. Blood pressure is frequently measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

What is hypertension?

rterial hypertension (AHT) is characterized by highly elevated blood pressure on arterial walls. This term is used when pressure values reach or exceed: 140 mmHg for systolic pressure and 90 mmHg for the diastolic pressure. For more detailed information on the definitions used, please visit our section on data protection policies and definitions used.

Hypertension constitutes an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In order to help control blood pressure, practicing regularly a physical activity and eating a balanced diet may be combined with medication and other medical treatments.

1. World Health Organization. Global health risks - Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. 2009.

Scroll down to discover the statistics on
blood pressure

How do blood pressure levels differ across the US*?

Review the latest Withings figures for blood pressure to gauge the regional differences. Select one region to view its profile details.

According to the latest Withings data, it appears that for the selected category, the state of New York has the lowest rate of people with high blood pressure. Conversely, the state of South Dakota has the highest rate. You can monitor these developments by regularly returning to the site.

* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 20000+ Withings users in the US. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.
Data updated monthly, on a 12-month moving window. Last update:07/01/2020.

Prevalence of high blood pressure

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%
of users with high blood pressure levels

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Breakdown by blood pressure level classes,
in percentage of subjects

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Percentage of subjects with high blood pressure
by age class

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Distribution of the mean systolic pressure, in percentage of subjects

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Overview of blood pressure levels in the United States

Learn more about blood pressure statistics in the US. This section explains average systolic blood pressure as well as prevailing national trends and blood pressure levels nearing those of hypertension for different age categories.


Breakdown by blood pressure level classes,
in percentage of subjects

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Percentage of subjects with high blood pressure
by age class

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Distribution of the mean systolic pressure, in percentage of subjects

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For the category selected, the latest Withings figures indicate an average systolic pressure of 123.9 mmHg and a 19.8% rate of raised pressure levels in the United States. People in the 60+ year age range remain most affected with a 24.4% rate. Monitor the changes of these indicators in real time by regularly returning to the site.

* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 20000+ Withings users in the US. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.
Data updated monthly, on a 12-month moving window. Last update:07/01/2020.

Blood pressure levels trends in the United States

How have blood pressure rates in the US changed over the years? Compare the changing rate of high blood pressure since 2011 among the various suggested categories.

For the category selected, between 2011 and2022, a -0.7% variation in the percentage of Americans with high blood pressure has been observed.


Prevalence of high blood pressure levels by year

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* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 20000+ Withings users in the US. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.

What is the relation between blood pressure and other vital indicators?
The body mass index.

Find out how blood pressure and body mass index are correlated.

The class Hypertension is the one with the highest rate of adults affected by overweight or obesity, 25.3%.

Percentage of overweight or obese adults, by blood pressure levels class

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* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 100000+ Withings users. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.
Global data, updated monthly. Last update:07/01/2020.

What is the relation between blood pressure and other vital indicators?
The physical activity level.

Find out how blood pressure and physical activity levels are correlated.

The class Hypertension is the one with the highest rate of individuals showing a sedentary behavior, 25.3%.

Percentage of subjects displaying a sedentary behavior, by blood pressure levels class

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* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 100000+ Withings users. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.
Global data, updated monthly. Last update:07/01/2020.

What is the relation between blood pressure and other vital indicators?
The sleep duration.

Find out how blood pressure and sleep are correlated.

The class Hypertension is the one with the highest rate of sleep deprived individuals, 25.3%.

Percentage of sleep deprived subjects, by blood pressure levels class

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* Anonymized and aggregated data, built on the basis of a random sample of 100000+ Withings users. See below for our data protection policies and definitions used.
Global data, updated monthly. Last update:07/01/2020.

Did you know?

  • Hypertension is the leading cause of death in the world. A total of 51% of deaths associated with a stroke and 45% with ischemic heart disease (reduced blood flow to the heart) could be attributed to it1


  • Physical activity helps fight hypertension: controlled tests showed a reduction of 5 mmHg in systolic pressure for a panel of hypertensive individuals who exercised regularly for a period of at least 8 weeks2


  • For the majority of people affected, hypertension does not produce any symptoms at all, often earning the name of “silent killer.” In some cases, headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, heart palpitations, and nosebleeds can appear as symptoms3


  • There is a phenomenon called the "white coat effect." For 20 to 25% of the population, the mere fact of facing a doctor is enough to cause an increase in blood pressure! Regularly monitoring blood pressure at home between doctor visits is a great way to ensure an accurate account of blood pressure levels4


  • There are certain lifestyle choices that can increase the risk of developing hypertension. Excessive salt consumption, lack of exercise, alcohol abuse and smoking can all lead to a greater risk of hypertension. Additionally, people who are overweight or obese have an increased likelihood of becoming hypertensive3

1. World Health Organization. Global health risks - Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. 2009.
2. Dickinson HO et al. Schnohr. Lifestyle interventions to reduce raised blood pressure: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Hypertens, 24(2):215-33, 2006.
3. World Health Organization. Basic facts about high blood pressure. 2013.
4. Stergiou GS et al. White coat effect detected using self-monitoring of blood pressure at home: comparison with ambulatory blood pressure. Am J Hypertens, 11(7):820-7, 1998.

Data protection policies

Withings guarantees the confidentiality of personal data and protects the privacy of all its users. Our ethical commitments relative to the confidentiality of data are specified in detail in our privacy policy.

All data used by the Withings Health Observatory are permanently anonymized and aggregated, built upon a pool of users having accepted the terms and conditions of use of Withings services.

In order to avoid reidentification of individual data, the data aggregation satisfies a minimum threshold relative to the size of each aggregate: if the number of units in each studied class is inferior to the minimum threshold, the corresponding data is excluded and replaced by "N/A". 0 is displayed as a valid numerical data.

Definitions

Physical activity level classes used are: Sedentary - number of daily steps < 4000 ; A bit active - 4000 ≤ number of daily steps < 7000 ; Moderately active - 7000 ≤ number of daily steps < 10000 ; Active - number of daily steps ≥ 10000.

BMI (Body Mass Index) classes used are those defined by the World Health Organization: Underweight - BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 ; Normal - 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2 ; Overweight - 25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2 ; Moderate obesity - 30 ≤ BMI < 35 kg/m2 ; Severe obesity - 40 ≤ BMI < 40 kg/m2 ; Morbid obesity - BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2. Therefore, the prevalence of overweight and obesity corresponds to the percentage of subjects with a BMI greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2.

Blood pressure classes used are those defined by the American Heart Association: Hypotension - systolic pressure < 90 mmHg / diastolic pressure < 60 mmHg ; Normal - 90 ≤ systolic pressure < 120 mmHg / 60 ≤ diastolic pressure < 80 mmHg ; Prehypertension - 120 ≤ systolic pressure < 140 mmHg / 80 ≤ diastolic pressure < 90 mmHg ; Hypertension - systolic pressure ≥ 140 mmHg / diastolic pressure ≥ 90 mmHg.