'We know what the barriers are, but nothing changes' - Professional perspectives on promoting breast cancer screening initiatives for ethnic minority women.

Hypertension (HTN) is a common chronic condition and a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The global prevalence of HTN has doubled from 650 million in 1990 to 1.3 billion in 2019. It is estimated that HTN is responsible for 10.8 million deaths, and contributes to 9.3% of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY). Although its prevalence has decreased in high-income countries, it is increasing in low- and middle-income countries, which account for more than two-thirds of global cases. HTN is largely influenced by lifestyle behaviors such as diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity. The relationship between each of these health-related behaviors and the incidence of HTN has been examined separately in previous studies. For example, a meta-analysis showed that adhering to a Mediterranean diet for at least one year lowered systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 1.44 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 0.7 mmHg. Another study reported that each 5-unit increase in body mass index (BMI) was associated with a 1.27-fold higher risk of developing HTN. Although such studies provide important evidence, most studies have been conducted in Western populations or have focused on predefined risk constructs, and limited evidence exists regarding the combined effects of metabolic and behavioral determinants in specific ethnic and regional populations, particularly among the Kurdish population in western Iran. Statistical methods such as cluster analysis offer a suitable approach to classify individuals into distinct groups based on common behavioral and clinical patterns, thereby identifying specific risk patterns.