title: Weight Status and Blood Pressure among Adolescent African American Males: The Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity had not been considered a significant factor contributing to high levels of hypertension among African American males until recently. Epidemiologic research on heart disease among males has primarily focused on adults; however, the significant rise in obesity and hypertension prevalence among African American boys indicates that studies examining the relationship between excess body weight and elevated blood pressure among this high-risk population are critically needed. The purpose of our study was to examine the degree to which weight status has implications for elevated blood pressure among young African American males.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from adolescent males (N=105), aged 12-19 years and who participated in the Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study - an offspring cohort study examining cardiovascular disease risks among adolescent descendants of Jackson Heart Study participants. Blood pressure was the primary outcome of interest and weight status was a key independent variable. Other covariates were fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sleep, and stress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 49% of adolescent males in the study were overweight or obese. Bivariate and multiple variable analyses suggest that obesity may be correlated with elevated diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels among African American boys. Results from ordinary least squared regression analysis indicate that the DBP for boys carrying excess weight was 4.2 mm Hg (P<.01) higher than the corresponding DBP for their normal weight counterparts, after controlling for age, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional studies are needed to specify the manner through which excess weight and weight gain can accelerate the development and progression of CVD-related diseases among African American males over the life course, thereby providing evidenced-based information for tailored interventions that can reduce risks for premature morbidity, disability, and mortality among this group.
authors.affiliation: 1. Center for Health of Minority Males, Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities, Jackson, Miss. ; 2. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss.
authors.forename: Marino A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: 1. Center for Health of Minority Males, Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities, Jackson, Miss. ; 3. Departments of Pediatrics and Family Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss.
authors.forename: Bettina M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Beech
authors.affiliation: 4. Institute for Research on Men's Health, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. ; 5. Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
authors.forename: Derek M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.affiliation: 6. Program for Research on Men's Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Baltimore, Md. ; 7. Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.
authors.forename: Roland J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Thorpe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: African American Adolescent Boys; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular Risk; Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study; Offspring Cohort Study; Population Health