title: High blood pressure detection in adolescents by clustering overall and abdominal adiposity markers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is linked to high blood pressure (HBP) in childhood. However, the role of fat as a predictor of HBP in adolescents remains unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between general and abdominal obesity with HBP and to identify the sensitivity and specificity of these indicators to detect HBP in adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample was composed of 1,021 adolescents aged 10-17 years. Subjects were classified as normal, overweight/obese, according to BMI measurements, and as non-obese and with abdominal obesity, according to waist circumference (WC) measurements. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were assessed using an oscillometric device. Logistic regression and ROC curves were used in the statistical analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of HBP was 11.8% (13.4% in boys and 10.2% in girls). The prevalence of HBP among general overweight/obese boys and girls was 10% and 11.1%, respectively. The prevalence of HBP among boys with abdominal obesity was 28.6%. For both genders, the odds ratio (OR) for HBP was higher in abdominal obesity than in general overweight/obesity (4.09 [OR(95%CI) = 2.57-6.51]) versus 1.83 [OR(95%CI) = 1.83-4.30]). The OR for HBP was higher when general overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity were clustered (OR = 4.35 [OR(95%CI) = 2.68-7.05]), than when identified by either general overweight/obesity or abdominal obesity alone (OR = 1.32 [OR(95%CI) = 0.65-2.68]). However, both types of obesity had low predictive power in HBP detection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  General and abdominal obesity were associated to HBP, however, the sensitivity and specificity of these variables to detect HBP are low in Brazilian adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Diego G D
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Christofaro
authors.forename: Raphael M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ritti-Dias
authors.forename: Rômulo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Marcos D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Polito
authors.forename: Selma M de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Jefferson R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Arli Ramos de
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology*