Obese — People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher are more likely to develop high blood pressure. Sodium-Loving — A high sodium intake increases blood pressure in some people. Alchohol-Happy — Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase blood pressure dramatically. Inactive — An inactive lifestyle makes it easier to become overweight and increases the chance of high blood pressure. Stressed — This is often mentioned as a risk factor, but stress levels are hard to measure, and responses to stress vary from person to person. Certain things can be controlled, wheras others can not. (see below) African American— Blacks develop high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to occur earlier and be more severe. The Same Families of — If your parents or other close blood relatives have high blood pressure, you re more likely to develop it. Old — In general, the older you get, the greater your chance of developing high blood pressure. It occurs most often in people over age 35. Men seem to develop it most often between age 35 and 55. Women are more likely to develop it after menopause. The words before the hyphen are the ones used to fill in the blank. =] hope this is helpful!