Association between Obesity and Elevated Blood Pressure among School Going Adolescents-A Cross Sectional Study Patnaik Lipilekha1,*, Pattnaik Sumitra1, Sahu Trilochan2, Rao E. Venkata3, Beura Saswatika4 1Professor, Department of Community Medicine, IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Dist.: Khordha State: Odisha 2Professor & Head, Department of Community Medicine, IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Dist.: Khordha State: Odisha 3Professor, Department of Community Medicine, IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Dist.: Khordha State: Odisha 4Junior Research Fellow, Department of Community Medicine, IMS & SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar, Dist.: Khordha State: Odisha *Corresponding Author: Dr. Lipilekha Patnaik Professor, Dept. of Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences & SUM Hospital Siksha ‘O ’Anusandhan Deemed to be University, Sector-8, Kalinga Nagar, Ghatikia, Bhubaneswar-751003 Mobile: +91-9437322268 Email: drlipilekha@yahoo.co.in, lipilekhapatnaik@soa.ac.in
Online published on 19 August, 2019. Abstract Background Adolescent overweight and obesity is an issue of epidemic proportions worldwide and it is related to elevated blood pressure among them. Hypertension in the context of overweight and obesity indicates a higher potential for cardiovascular disease (CVD) than is associated with either risk factor alone. Objectives To find out the relation between overweight/obesity and elevated blood pressure among school going adolescents. Method A school based cross-sectional study was conducted in 1800 adolescents of 10–16 years. Anthropometric parameters like BMI and blood pressure (BP) were measured using standard guidelines. Results Prevalence of elevated BP increased with increase of nutritional status. Elevated blood pressure was observed significantly higher among overweight/obese adolescents (P=0.000). As BMI and waist circumference increased, SBP and DBP increased and correlation was significant at 0.01 level. Conclusion All overweight/obese adolescents should be screened for hypertension and early intervention measures should be taken for weight reduction and BP control. Top Keywords Hypertension, Teens, Body weight. Top |