Introduction Hypertension has become a public health a worldwide challenge. It has been associated with psychosocial working conditions and with several chronic diseases. One of the job positions where poor psychosocial working condition might be present is a typist. We aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension In Colombian typist population, associated with psychosocial factors at the work and identifying associated socio-demographic characteristics and employment conditions.

Methods Cross sectional interview-based questionnaire study and measurements (blood pressure, high, weigh) in 196 typist and 134 administrative workers from the same company in Colombia (response 100%). Logistic regression models adjust to type of work, job demand control, Effort-Reward-Ratio, social support, age, gender and overweight.

Results The prevalence of hypertension in workers was 17.82%. The age of workers was from 20 to 39 years (76.3%). From the participants with high blood pressure, 31.2% had overweight, 21% reported high tension and 20% indicated active job (p 0.36). The most important associations in the logistic regression, was overweight (OR 4.6; 95% CI: 2.1 to 9.9), age between 30 and 40 years (OR 2.75; 95% CI: 1.1 to 6.5), high social support (OR 2.45; 95% CI: 1.1 to 5.1) and active job (OR 3.36; 95% CI: 1.1 to 10.2).

Conclusions This study results indicate an increment of the prevalence of hypertension in Colombian young people, related to the epidemiological transition. It is an evidence of the need to shift the orientation of the country health programs to chronic diseases, such as the hypertension and overweight.