Background: Hypertension, which is one of the major health problems, not only in Indonesia but also around the world, has attracted a great number of concerns. Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, and stroke. Most people with hypertension do not know that they are hypertensive, so they tend not to get proper treatment. The factors that influence the occurrence of hypertension are divided into two major groups, namely, those that cannot be controlled such as gender, age, genetic properties and race, and those that can be controlled such as diet, exercise habits, employment, consumption of salt, coffee, alcohol and stress. The study aims to determine the triggering factors associated with hypertension.

Material and methods: This type of quantitative research using descriptive correlation study method was conducted on individuals aged over 18 years in the city of Kendal, Central Java, amounting to 428 people. The sample was pooled employing purposive sampling technique. The data was collected using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed univariably in the form of frequency distribution and bivariately using the Chi-square test.

Results: The results show that the majority of the respondents with hypertension were those aged 51–60 years, male,
and working as fishermen. In this regard, there are a factor of hypertension, obesity in the moderate category, and stage III hypertension. In addition, there is a relationship between the triggering factors of hypertension (age, gender, employment, heredity, obesity) and the incidence of hypertension (p value < 0.005).

Conclusion: Triggering factors related to hypertension include age, gender, employment, heredity, and obesity level.