Overweight and central adiposity in school-age children and links with hypertension.
The purpose of this study of school-age children was to estimate prevalence and interrelationships of overweight, central adiposity, and hypertension. It included 1,070 children in kindergarten through sixth grade (67% Hispanic, 26% African American, mean age = 8.9 years). Measures included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic and/or diastolic hypertension identified by measurements on three separate occasions. Percentage overweight (BMI >or=95th percentile) was 28.7%, 17.9% were at risk of overweight, 28.8% had WC >or=90th percentile, and 9.4% had elevated (>or=90th percentile) systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure (BP). If we had screened only for BMI and examined those with BMI >or=85th percentile or underweight for hypertension, we would have missed 26% of the children with persistently elevated BP. WC explained variance in elevated BP not explained by BMI (p < .001). Measurement of WC is easily incorporated in a school-based screening protocol.
Meininger
Janet C
JC
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
Brosnan
Christine A
CA
Eissa
Mona A
MA
Nguyen
Thong Q
TQ
Reyes
Lisa R
LR
Upchurch
Sandra L
SL
Phillips
Melinda
M
Sterchy
Sharon
S
D017677:Age Distribution; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055105:Waist Circumference