title: Changes in Body Weight From Young Adulthood to Middle Age and Its Association With Blood Pressure and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong Chinese Women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have examined the associations of weight changes from young adulthood to middle age with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension among Hong Kong Chinese women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weight at age 18 (W18), current weight (Wcurrent), height, BP, demographics, and lifestyle factors were obtained from 1253 female nurses (35-65 years) by a self-administered questionnaire through mail survey in Hong Kong. The conditional relative weight (CRW; a residual of Wcurrent regressed on W18) was used to express the relative weight change from age 18 to current age. The study results show that from young adulthood to middle age, 76.9%, 15.1%, and 8.0% of women had weight gain, weight loss, and stable weight, respectively. Women in the weight loss group had heavier W18 than those in the weight gain group (P<0.05). Higher weight gain was associated with higher BP (P for trend <0.01). Women who belonged to the heaviest 10% both at age 18 and at present had highest BP than women in other weight categories. By giving W18, a 1-kg increase in weight change predicted 0.63 and 0.42 mm Hg increases in systolic and diastolic BP, respectively (both P<0.001) and 12% greater odds of being hypertension (95% confidence interval, 1.08, 1.17). The CRW was positively associated with BP and hypertension; no interaction was found between CRW and Wcurrent on BP/hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A majority of Chinese women tended to become heavier throughout adult life. More weight gain led to the higher BP. Weight change is an independent predictor for later-life BP and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR (Y.J.X.).
authors.forename: Yao Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (S.C.H.).
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Division of Behavioral Health and Health Promotion, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (X.S.).
authors.forename: Xuefen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Division of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (Z.L.).
authors.forename: Zhao-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000208:ethnology*; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000208:ethnology*
keywords: blood pressure; epidemiology; hypertension; obesity; women