title: Nutritional status of school-aged children and its relation to blood pressure.
abstract: Obesity is associated with a wide range of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
  
  
  
  To establish an association between the nutritional status of 6-10 year old boys and girls and blood pressure.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted in 6-10 year old schoolboys and schoolgirls. Outcome measures and indicators studied included nutritional status as per body mass index; presence of central fat mass distribution estimated by waist circumference; and blood pressure (height, age and gender tables). Differences in mean values were analyzed using a Student's t test. The relationship between outcome measures was estimated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Linear regression models were adjusted for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure using the following explanatory outcome measures: z scores for body mass index, age, gender and waist circumference.
  
  
  
  Five hundred and fifty five male and female children were evaluated; they were all younger than 11 years old. A total of 26.3% was overweight and 15.1% was obese. The prevalence of hypertension was 1.08%. Results show a positive linear relationship between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and age and waist circumference, and a trend is observed between systolic blood pressure and the body mass index z score (p = 0.068).
  
  
  
  Overweight and obesity were the most common nutritional disorders in schoolaged children in the studied district; there is an association between age, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and between systolic blood pressure and the body mass index z score.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Hospital Municipal Héctor Cura, Olavarría, Clínica CEMEDA S.A. Olavarría, Province of Buenos Aires.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zeberio
authors.forename: Agustina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malpeli
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Apezteguía
authors.forename: Marta A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carballo
authors.forename: Horacio F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status