Blood Pressure Quiz

Are you heart smart? Take this blood pressure quiz and find out!

1. True or false? Chronic high blood pressure is called hypertension.
2. True or false? Only the elderly suffer from high blood pressure.
3. True or false? Most of the sodium in your diet comes from the salt shaker.
4. Fill in the blank. Blood pressure is recorded in two numbers. For example, 120/80 is read "120 over 80." Which number is systolic pressure and which number is diastolic pressure? _____
5. Question: Who has high blood pressure?
   • Male, age 55, blood pressure 110/70
   • Female, age 40, blood pressure 130/85
   • Male, age 70, blood pressure 145/95
6. High blood pressure puts you at risk for which of the following?
   • Stroke
   • Heart disease
   • Kidney disease
   • All of the above
7. What can you do to prevent or control high blood pressure?
   • Follow the DASH eating plan
   • Reduce the salt in your diet
   • Exercise regularly
   • All of the above
8. True or false? MyPlate and DASH both emphasize the importance of keeping protein and dairy foods low in fat.
9. True or false? As long as you take your high blood pressure medication, you don't need to worry about diet and exercise.
10. True or false? Data indicates that, among adults who are aware that they have high blood pressure, almost 65 percent do NOT have it under control.

Answer Key:

1. True: If your blood pressure stays elevated over a period of time, you have hypertension.
2. False: While adults over age 50 are at a higher risk, so are people with diabetes, those who smoke, anyone who is obese or overweight, anyone who is sedentary, and people who drink heavily.
3. False: Many people think that their diet is low in sodium because they don't use the salt shaker at the table. But 77% of the salt we eat comes from processed and restaurant foods.
4. The top number is systolic pressure and the bottom number is diastolic pressure. When these numbers are high, the heart is working harder than it should.
5. Male, age 70, blood pressure 145/95. The 70-year old man in this example has high blood pressure because his numbers are 140/90 or higher. The 40-year old female in this example has prehypertension, which is defined as blood pressure of 120-139/80-89. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80.
6. All of the above. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart attack, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.
7. All of the above.
8. True: Sidestepping the saturated fat found in protein and dairy foods is vital to a healthful diet. Both MyPlate and DASH lay out eating plans that are very low in saturated fat.
9. False: Remember, diet and lifestyle changes are important, even if you take medication for your high blood pressure. Diet and lifestyle changes will help medications work better and may reduce the amount of medicine that you need.
10. True.

Sources: American Heart Association, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.For other great blood pressure educational materials, check out the awesome resources in the Nutrition Education Store...Pssst! Here's another free resource. Get your copy of the Blood Pressure Quiz handout today!