title: Longitudinal Assessment of Blood Pressure in School-Aged Children: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of abnormal blood pressure in a population of school children during a 3-year follow-up period and its relationship with obesity. Anthropometric and blood pressure data were collected from a population of Italian school children during three consecutive years. During each year blood pressure measurements were repeated three times, at intervals of 1 week. A total of 564 school-children [311 boys; mean (SD) age 8.8 ± 1.4 years] were recruited. During each year, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased from visit 1 to visit 3 (p < 0.001). This was associated with a decline in the percentage of prehypertension/hypertension from visit 1 to visit 3. An abnormal blood pressure value in at least one study visit was found in 8.8-17 % of children, whereas the prevalence of hypertension at all three study visits was between 5.2 and 7.8 %, and that of prehypertension at all three visits was between 2.8 and 3.8 %. High blood pressure was more frequent in obese children. In this population of school children the percentage of prehypertension/hypertension remarkably varied when based on one versus three annual assessments, thus emphasizing the importance of repeated measurement before making a diagnosis of abnormal blood pressure. Adiposity was confirmed to be a determinant of high blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 5, 66100, Chieti, Italy. m.marcovecchio@unich.it.|Center of Excellence on Aging, "G. d'Annunzio" University Foundation, Chieti, Italy. m.marcovecchio@unich.it.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Marcovecchio
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 5, 66100, Chieti, Italy.|Center of Excellence on Aging, "G. d'Annunzio" University Foundation, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohn
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Unit, Prevention and Public Health, ASL FG, Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diddi
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 5, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Polidori
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University "G. d'Annunzio", Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini 5, 66100, Chieti, Italy.|Center of Excellence on Aging, "G. d'Annunzio" University Foundation, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarelli
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Unit, Prevention and Public Health, ASL FG, Foggia, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fuiano
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007558:Italy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012574:Schools; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
keywords: Adiposity; Blood pressure; Hypertension; Prehypertension; Schoolchildren