title: High prevalence of hypertension in obese children in the Caribbean.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Obesity in children and adults leads to diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of high blood pressure in overweight and obese children in the Caribbean.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, weight and height were measured in all 5-16-year-old children attending public school in 2008 on Bonaire, an island in the Caribbean. Cut-off values for body mass index (BMI) are defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Blood pressure was measured in all overweight and obese children as well as in a control group with normal weight and compared with reference values from the National High Blood Pressure Working Group on Children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  94% (2023/2152) of all children participated in the study. 17% (335/2023) of the children were overweight (excluding obesity) and a further 12% (246/2023) were obese. Hypertension was found in 13% (67/526) of children of normal weight, in 23% (71/307) of overweight children and in 53% (127/242) of obese children. Compared with normal-weight children, the odds for hypertension were 2.1 (95% CI 1.4-3.0) for overweight children and 7.2 (95% CI 5.0-10.3) for obese children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high prevalence of hypertension in overweight and obese children on Bonaire. As hypertension is a harbinger of cardiovascular disease, early detection and treatment of overweight and obese children is of paramount importance and their blood pressure needs to be measured regularly.
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Luuk
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schwiebbe
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Talma
authors.forename: Carry
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renders
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: Joana E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kist-van Holthe
authors.forename: Remy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hirasing
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence