Abstract: Objective To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in residents aged 35 years or older in Zhenjiang city and to investigate the effect of overweight and obesity on the development of hypertension.Methods Multi-stage cluster random sampling was used to select 2 520 permanent residents aged 35 years or older from 7 urban areas of Zhenjiang city.Questionnaire survey and physical examination were administered to the residents.Results The prevalence rate of overweight,obesity,abdominal obesity,and hypertention was 37.9%,11.0%,54.6%,and 38.3%,respectively,among the residents.The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in the residents with overweight,obesity or abdominal obesity compard to that of residents with normal body weight,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The risk of developing hypertension increased with the increments of body mass index and waist circumference.Conclusion The prevalence rates of overweight,obesity and abdominal obesity are high among permanent residents in Zhenjiang city and the residents with overweight or obesity are at a higher risk of hypertension.