Relationship Between Blood Pressure and Waist Circumference in Healthy Children

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Laboratorinė medicina. 2016,
t. 18,
Nr. 1,
p. 33 -
39

Background. The aim of the study is to analyze associations between blood pres­sure and waist circumference measure - ment among school-aged.

Material and methods. The test group consisted of 6-17-year-old 819 school-aged children. Height, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured. The obtained data was evalu­ated by the percentile method. Blood pressure values were divided into three groups: <90 percentile - normal, between 90 and 95 percentile - prehypertension, >95 percentile - arterial hypertension. Waist percentile <90 rated as normal and
percentile >90 rated as waist circumference increase.

Results. The study population con­sisted of 420 (51.3%) girls and (48.7%) boys. The average age was 12±3 years. 332 chil­dren (40.5%) had normal blood pressure; 199 (24.3%) - prehypertension describing value; 288 (35.2%) - hypertension describ­ing value. Boys 1.4 times more had arterial hypertension describing value than girls. 588 (71.8%) school-aged children had nor­mal waist circumierence and 231 (28.2%) had increased. Between group of children with normal waist circumference normal blood pressure was found in 282 (47.9%); hypertension describing value in 149 (25.4%). Between group of children with increased waist circumference nor­mal blood pressure was found in 50 (21.6%); hypertension describing value in 139 (60.2%). Statistically signifi­cant association between waist circum­ference and blood pressure was found: ar­terial hypertension describing value was frequently found in group with increased waist circumference than in group with normal waist circumference.

Conclusion. Hypertension describ­ing value was measured in one-third of school-aged children (35.2%); frequently among boys (p<0.05). Statistically signifi­cant relationship between blood pressure and waist circumference was found

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