Effect of Overweight and Obesity on High Blood Pressure in Chinese Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to compare the secular trends of high blood pressure (HBP) and the effects of overweight and obesity on HBP between Chinese ethnic minority and Han children and adolescents . Methods Data were collected from 224,151 Chinese ethnic minority and 664,094 Han children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years during three successive, national cross‐sectional surveys (2005, 2010, and 2014). Logistic regression and population‐attributable risk analyses were used to evaluate the association between HBP and overweight and obesity. Results HBP prevalence in ethnic minorities increased from 4.8% in 2005 to 6.3% in 2014, which was significantly higher than the variable HBP trends (4.1% to 5.5%) in Han children and adolescents. Both ethnic minority and Han children and adolescents experienced a rapid increase in overweight and obesity, but the pace of growth for HBP, overweight, and obesity was faster in ethnic minorities than in their Han peers. Moreover, the effects of obesity on HBP in ethnic minorities showed a sustained increase over time but were stable for the Han. Conclusions Higher HBP prevalence, faster obesity increases, and a stronger impact of obesity on HBP in children and adolescents of Chinese ethnic minorities predict their looming burden of HBP, which suggests that attention to the cardiovascular disease risks in children and adolescents from ethnic minorities is indicated to reduce their future adult risk.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children of Bhaktapur and Kathmandu

“…SBP and DBP were also found to be higher in children with high BMI (>85 th percentile) in a study by Dwivedi et al1 6 . A study by Shah et al 6 in eastern Nepal as well as other various studies from Brazil, Spain, Thailand and China showed that childhood obesity was significantly associated with blood pressure 2,17,18,19,20 . Multiple data including this seems to point out that obesity and overweight may lead to early onset of chronic disease like hypertension leading to multiple cardiovascular comorbidities later in adulthood.…”

Ethnicity, socioeconomic status and the nutritional status of Chinese children and adolescents: Findings from three consecutive national surveys between 2005 and 2014

“…In China, there have been clear secular trends in the nutritional transition of children and adolescents 3,27 . Yet beyond socioeconomic status, ethnicity may also influence nutritional transitions in relation, for example, to cultural differences in food preferences and cooking styles 28 . A multi‐ethnic country like China provides a good opportunity to assess the association between nutritional status and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic status.…”

The Increasing Prevalence of High Blood Pressure and Obesity in Chinese Children and Adolescents

“…Overall, this study found an increase in the prevalence of hypertension and overweight from 2005 to 2014 among Chinese children and adolescents, and this increase was significant in ethnic minorities but not in Han children and adolescents. Early lifestyle interventions, including physical activity, a healthy diet, and routine intensive blood pressure surveillance, are effective and safe ways to prevent overweight and hypertension in Chinese children and adolescents, especially for ethnic minorities.…”

“…This study also evaluated whether changes in obesity led to changes in hypertension. Between 2005 and 2014, the prevalence of hypertension increased from 4.8% to 6.3% among children and adolescents of ethnic minorities and from 4.1% to 5.5% among Han children and adolescents . At the same time, the prevalence of overweight or obesity increased from 4.3% to 9.4% among children and adolescents of ethnic minorities and from 10.4% to 17.7% among Han children and adolescents.…”