title: Secular changes in anthropometric measurements and blood pressure in children of Crete, Greece, during 1992/93 and 2006/07.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine secular changes in anthropometric measurements and blood pressure (BP) in 1st-grade children in Crete, Greece, during 1992/93 and 2006/07.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children (aged 5.7-7.8 years) from two representative cross-sectional cohorts participated during 1992/93 (n=606) and 2006/07 (n=361). Body weight, body-mass-index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip (WHpR) and waist-to-height (WHtR) ratios, BP, 20 m-shuttle-run test (20 mSRT), and moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity (MVPA) were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant increase (P<0.01) in body weight (+10.2% and +6.7%), BMI (+6.9% and +4.0%), WC (+5.6% and +5.1%), WHpR (+3.0% and +3.4%), and WHtR (+4.2% and +3.8%), for boys and girls, respectively, and in the proportion of overweight/obese boys (19.4% vs. 33.7%; P<0.001) between 1992/93 and 2006/07. Both genders had decreased BP measurements in 2006/07 compared to 1992/93 (P<0.001). In both periods, BP was higher in obese compared to overweight and normal children (P<0.001), but there was no relationship between BP and physical activity (PA).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A substantial decrease in BP was observed in Cretan children over a 15-year period, despite a concurrent increase in obesity and anthropometric indices. This may be attributed to lifestyle and dietary changes and does not support the hypothesis that the obesity epidemic in children has resulted in proportionate increases in BP levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Crete, Greece. msbokos@edu.med.uoc.gr
authors.forename: Emmanouil A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Smpokos
authors.forename: Manolis
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linardakis
authors.forename: Angeliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papadaki
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kafatos
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D055105:Waist Circumference; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio