title: [Classifying Mexican adolescents' high blood pressure, associated factors and importance].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determining characteristics regarding risk and high blood pressure (HBP) frequency in a group of 12 to 16 year-old students from the city of León, Mexico, according to two types of classification: the 7th Joint National Committee (JNC-7) and 4th report of the working group for diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of HBP in children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an observational, descriptive cross-sectional study of 458 male students. HBP was determined according to international standards after parents and students' informed consent had been obtained and they answered a questionnaire for recording clinical-epidemiological data. Blood pressure levels were classified as being normal, pre-HBP and hyper-HBP in accordance with the guidelines issued by the 7th National Joint Committee for detecting, evaluating and treating HBP (JNC-7) and the 4th report of the working group for diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of HBP in children and adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  61.3 % and 68.7 % were found to have normal blood pressure, 34.9 % and 20.7 % were pre-HBP and 3.7 % and 10.4 % hyper-HBP according to JNC-7 and 4th report guidelines, respectively, whilst 71 % and 66 % had a family background of diabetes and HBP, 22 % were overweight and obese and 24 % had a background of alcohol consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that 4th report guidelines should be adopted in clinical practice whilst JNC-7 guidelines should be used for epidemiological studies. Accepting the pre-HBP concept and its early detection for preventing HBP will facilitate effective health promotion regarding changes in lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación Social, Epidemiológica y de Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano de Seguridad Social, Jalisco, México.
authors.forename: Ana L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Salcedo-Rocha
authors.forename: Javier E García
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: de Alba
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Contreras-Marmolejo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent / Q000502:physiology*; D017668:Age of Onset; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005192:Family Health; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference