[Relation among anthropometric measures and the blood pressure values in Brazilian students].
The evaluation of blood pressure and anthropometric measurements is important for evaluating the health of children and teenagers, since cardiovascular abnormalities are becoming more and more common in this population. The objective of this study was to analyze the correlation between anthropometric measurements and arterial pressure taking gender, age and the practice of physical activities into consideration. A cross sectional study was carried out in a school in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, in a sample of 122 students of 6-18 years of age. Data was collected on a specific form and included sociodemographic data, anthropometric evaluation, measurement of arterial pressure and the practice of physical activity. Three measurements were taken of each anthropometric variable and arterial pressure, and the respective means were calculated. Data were processed and analyzed using the SPSS software program, version 13.0. Significance was established at 5% (p < 0.05). A correlation was identified between arterial pressure and tricipital skinfold thickness. No statistically significant differences were found between the mean anthropometric measurements and the presence of high blood pressure. A correlation was found between body mass index and abdominal and subscapular skinfold thickness and between body mass index and waist and hip circumference. Physical activity had no effect on anthropometric measurements. Females had a higher mean tricipital and abdominal skinfold thickness than males. This study confirms the influence of the variables of gender and age on the anthropometric measurements evaluated. In particular, tricipital skinfold thickness was correlated with systolic arterial pressure.
de Araujo
Thelma Leite
TL
Facultad de Farmacia, Odontología y Enfermería, Universidad Federal de Cearś, Fortaleza, CE, Brasil.
Lopes
Marcos Venícios de Oliveira
MV
Cavalcante
Tahissa Frota
TF
Guedes
Nirla Gomes
NG
Moreira
Rafaella Pessoa
RP
Chaves
Emília Soares
ES
da Silva
Viviane Martins
VM
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio