The independent effects of obesity and body fat distribution on blood pressure in black adults: the Pitt County study.
The relationship of obesity measures to blood pressure and hypertension prevalence was assessed in a community probability sample of 25-50-year-old black adults (1101 women and 655 men) who were examined in 1988 in Pitt County, North Carolina. Among black women, both body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio had independent relationships with systolic and diastolic blood pressures and hypertension prevalence after controlling for the effects of age, socio-economic status, physical activity, alcohol, and the other obesity measure (P < 0.05). Body mass index also had independent relationships with blood pressure levels and hypertension prevalence in black men (P < 0.05), while waist-to-hip ratio was associated with hypertension prevalence (P = 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05), but not with systolic blood pressure. The relationships of waist-to-hip ratio with blood pressure and hypertension prevalence were considerably reduced in both sex groups after controlling for body mass index. This study presents new evidence that waist-to-hip ratio is related to hypertension and blood pressure level independent of body mass index, in young to middle-aged black adult women and men.
Croft
J B
JB
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Strogatz
D S
DS
Keenan
N L
NL
James
S A
SA
Malarcher
A M
AM
Garrett
J M
JM
D000005:Abdomen; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000886:Anthropometry; D044383:Black People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009657:North Carolina; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012923:Social Class; D001741:Black or African American