Overweight and Obesity Association with High-blood Pressure Figures in School-age Children

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the association of overweight and obesity with high blood pressure figures in school-age children. Methods: cross-sectional analytical study, 163 children aged six to eleven who were attached to the Family Medicine Unit (fmu) no. 75 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (imss) in the State of Mexico participated. The study was conducted from March to September 2019, through mixed interrogation, under informed consent and assent. Variables such as: blood pressure, weight, waist size and circumference were examined. Weight was classified, based on the Body Mass Index Percentile (bmip), as normal, overweight and obesity; for blood pressure the Height and Age percentile (hap), categorized as normal or high, was used, according to the Tasks Force for Blood Pressure in Children. The waist-size index was classified as normal, overweight and obese. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential using the χ² Test. Results: a total of 163 participants were included, 49.07% male (n=80) and 50.93% female (n=83), with an average age of 8.22; 30.07% had obesity (n=49) and 28.21%, overweight (n=46); 23.92% had a high blood pressure figure (n=39), with a significant association (p<0.0001). Conclusion: bmip greater than 85 is associated with an elevation of blood pressure, predominantly female, in the age group of eight to nine years.