title: Factors influencing adolescent blood pressure: the Debrecen Hypertension Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obtain epidemiological data on the blood pressure (BP) status of high school students and factors influencing BP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects filled out a questionnaire and three repeated BP measurements were taken. All high school attending students in Debrecen (final sample n = 10,194, mean age 16.6 ± 1.0 years) participated in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Boys had significantly higher systolic BP (+11.3 mm Hg) and diastolic BP (+2.2 mm Hg) than girls (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between weight and BP (r(syst) = 0.42, r(diast) = 0.29), height and BP (r(syst) = 0.33, r(diast) = 0.15), body mass index (BMI) and BP (r(syst) = 0.31, r(diast) = 0.27). Multiple regression was used for statistical analysis. Gender (β = 0.36), BMI (β = 0.25), hypertension of parents (father β = 0.04 and mother β = 0.02), smoking, alcohol consumption and age determined systolic outcomes in descending order. For the diastolic model, BMI remained a strong determining factor (β = 0.25) and gender was also significant (β = -0.09). Entering independents together accounted for 28.2% of the total variance in systolic and for 18.1% in diastolic BP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Body weight is central to determining BP. Because that is an alterable cardiovascular risk factor, we presume that lifestyle modification will not only result in reduced weight, but also in decreased BP.
authors.affiliation: 1st Department of Medicine, Medical and Health Center, University of Debrecen, Nagyerdei krt. 98, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katona
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zrínyi
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Komonyi
authors.forename: Szabolcs
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lengyel
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paragh
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zatik
authors.forename: Béla
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fülesdi
authors.forename: Dénes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Páll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D013177:Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary