M Dolores Marrodán Serrano1, M Dolores Cabañas Armesilla2, M Margarita Carmenate Moreno3, Marisa González-Montero de Espinosa2, Noemí López-Ejeda2, Jesús R Martínez Álvarez4, Consuelo Prado Martínez3, Juan F Romero-Collazos5. 1. Grupo de Investigación EPINUT-UCM, Madrid, Spain; Sociedad Española de Dietética y Ciencias de la Alimentación (SEDCA), Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: marrodan@bio.ucm.es. 2. Grupo de Investigación EPINUT-UCM, Madrid, Spain. 3. Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. 4. Grupo de Investigación EPINUT-UCM, Madrid, Spain; Sociedad Española de Dietética y Ciencias de la Alimentación (SEDCA), Madrid, Spain. 5. Grupo de Investigación EPINUT-UCM, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; DeporClinic, Clínica de Medicina Deportiva y Fisioterapia, Coslada, Madrid, Spain.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The increase in the incidence of hypertension in children can be attributed to the rising prevalence of obesity. The objective is to analyze the impact of overweight and the degree or distribution of adiposity on blood pressure levels in a population of Spanish schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 1511 schoolchildren between 6 years and 16 years of age. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, subcutaneous skinfolds, and blood pressure. Nutritional categories were established on the basis of body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and percent body fat. According to the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group, subjects whose blood pressure was above the 90th percentile of the standard normal distribution were considered to have high blood pressure. RESULTS: In all, 3.17% of the boys and 3.05% of the girls had high blood pressure. According to odds ratio analysis, the risk of high blood pressure increased in individuals with a body mass index indicative of obesity (7.87-fold in boys, 12.32-fold in girls), with a percent body fat>97th percentile (6.98-fold in boys, 18.51-fold in girls), or with a waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5 (10.56-fold in boys, 7.82-fold in girls). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity increase the risk of high blood pressure in children between 6 years and 16 years of age, although the risk level varies depending on the amount and distribution of adipose tissue. Anthropometric indicators of relative adiposity and fat distribution are especially useful in the identification of children and adolescents with high blood pressure.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The increase in the incidence of hypertension in children can be attributed to the rising prevalence of obesity. The objective is to analyze the impact of overweight and the degree or distribution of adiposity on blood pressure levels in a population of Spanish schoolchildren. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 1511 schoolchildren between 6 years and 16 years of age. We measured weight, height, waist circumference, subcutaneous skinfolds, and blood pressure. Nutritional categories were established on the basis of body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and percent body fat. According to the National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group, subjects whose blood pressure was above the 90th percentile of the standard normal distribution were considered to have high blood pressure. RESULTS: In all, 3.17% of the boys and 3.05% of the girls had high blood pressure. According to odds ratio analysis, the risk of high blood pressure increased in individuals with a body mass index indicative of obesity (7.87-fold in boys, 12.32-fold in girls), with a percent body fat>97th percentile (6.98-fold in boys, 18.51-fold in girls), or with a waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5 (10.56-fold in boys, 7.82-fold in girls). CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity increase the risk of high blood pressure in children between 6 years and 16 years of age, although the risk level varies depending on the amount and distribution of adipose tissue. Anthropometric indicators of relative adiposity and fat distribution are especially useful in the identification of children and adolescents with high blood pressure.
Authors: Priscila Ribas de Farias Costa; Ana Marlúcia Oliveira Assis; Carla de Magalhães Cunha; Emile Miranda Pereira; Gabriela Dos Santos de Jesus; Lais Eloy Machado da Silva; Wilanne Pinheiro de Oliveira Alves Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017-05-25 Impact factor: 2.000