BackgroundThe prevalence of obesity has substantially increased in the past 3 decades in both developed and developing countries and may lead to an increase in high blood pressure (BP) at an early age. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and its association with blood pressure among primary school children in central Thailand.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in two public schools in Bangkok in 2012. A total of 693 students (317 boys and 376 girls) aged 8–12 years participated voluntarily. Anthropometric measurements of weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and BP were collected. Fasting venous blood samples were obtained for biochemical analysis of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipid parameters. Child nutritional status was defined by body mass index (BMI) for age based on the 2000 Center for Diseases Control and Prevention growth charts. The cutoff for abdominal obesity was WC at the 75 percentile or greater. Hypertension was defined according to the 2004 Pediatrics US blood pressure reference. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between high BP and obesity after controlling for other covariates.ResultsThe prevalence of obese children was 30.6% for boys and 12.8% for girls (mean prevalence 20.9%). Pre-hypertension (Pre-HT) was 5.7% and 2.7% for boys and girls and hypertension (HT) was 4.7% for boys and 3.2% for girls, respectively. Children with pre-HT and HT had significantly higher body weight, height, WC, BMI, SBP, DBP, TG, and TC/HDL-C levels but lower HDL-C levels than those children with normotension. After controlling for age, sex, glucose and lipid parameters, child obesity was significantly associated with pre-HT and HT (odds rations (ORs) = 9.00, 95% CI: 3.20-25.31 for pre-HT and ORs = 10.60, 95% CI: 3.75-30.00 for HT). So also was WC (abdominal obesity) when considered alone (ORs = 6.20, 95% CI: 2.60-14.81 for pre-HT and ORs = 13.73, 95% CI: 4.85-38.83 for HT) (p-value < 0.001).ConclusionsObesity among school children was positively associated with higher BP. Prevention of childhood obesity should be strengthened to prevent the risk of early high BP including cardiovascular risk factors.

Thailand has committed to reducing population sodium intake by 30% by 2025. However, reliable nationally representative data are unavailable for monitoring progress toward the goal. We estimated dietary sodium consumption using 24‐hour urinary analyses in a nationally representative, cross‐sectional population‐based survey. We selected 2388 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) from the North, South, North‐east, Central Regions, and Bangkok, using multi‐stage cluster sampling. Mean sodium excretion was inflated by 10% to adjust for non‐urinary sources. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess factors associated with sodium consumption ≥ 2000 mg. Among 1599 (67%) who completed urine collection, mean age was 43 years, 53% were female, and 30% had hypertension. Mean dietary sodium intake (mg/day) was 3636 (±1722), highest in South (4108 ± 1677), and lowest in North‐east (3316 ± 1608). Higher sodium consumption was independently associated with younger age (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 2.81; 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.53‐5.17; p = .001); higher education (AOR 1.79; 95% CI: 1.19‐2.67; p = .005), BMI ≥ 25 (AOR 1.55; 95% CI: 1.09‐2.21; p=.016), and hypertension (AOR 1.58; 95% CI: 1.02‐2.44; p = .038). Urine potassium excretion was 1221 mg/day with little variation across Regions. Estimated dietary sodium consumption in Thai adults is nearly twice as high as recommended levels. These data provide a benchmark for future monitoring.