High Blood Pressure in Children and its Correlation with Three Definitions of Obesity in Childhood

Abstract

Background Several authors have correlated the increase of cardiovascular risk with the nutritional status, however there are different criteria for the classification of overweight and obesity in children. Objectives To evaluate the performance of three nutritional classification criteria in children, as definers of the presence of obesity and predictors of high blood pressure in schoolchildren. MethodsEight hundred and seventeen children ranging 6 to 13 years old, enrolled in public schools in the municipality of Vila Velha (ES) were submitted to anthropometric evaluation and blood pressure measurement. The classification of the nutritional status was established by two international criteria (CDC/NCHS 2000 and IOTF 2000) and one Brazilian criterion (Conde e Monteiro 2006). ResultsThe prevalence of overweight was higher when the criterion of Conde e Monteiro (27%) was used, and inferior by the IOTF (15%) criteria. High blood pressure was observed in 7.3% of children. It was identified a strong association between the presence of overweight and the occurrence of high blood pressure, regardless of the test used (p < 0.001). The test showing the highest sensitivity in predicting elevated BP was the Conde e Monteiro (44%), while the highest specificity (94%) and greater overall accuracy (63%), was the CDC criterion. ConclusionsThe prevalence of overweight in Brazilian children is higher when using the classification criterion of Conde e Monteiro, and lower when the criterion used is IOTF. The Brazilian classification criterion proved to be the most sensitive predictor of high BP risk in this sample.

Evaluation of Echocardiography as a Marker of Cardiovascular Risk in Obese Children and Adolescents

“…Regarding the general characteristics of the sample, De Moraes et al [27] obtained homogeneity in relation to sex, being represented by 51% of boys and 49% girls. The mean age was 8.8 ± 1.6 years.…”

“…In another study, De Moraes et al [27] involved 817 children and adolescents aged 6 -13 years enrolled in public schools in the municipality of Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, who were assessed for height, weight and blood pressure. Regarding the general characteristics of the sample, De Moraes et al [27] obtained homogeneity in relation to sex, being represented by 51% of boys and 49% girls.…”

Prevalence of hypertension in a sample of schoolchildren in the Belgrade district

“…However, because of the complexity of the procedure required for the diagnosis of hypertension in children, healthcare providers often do not perform BP measurements or interpret the results incorrectly, which can lead to underestimation, underdiagnosis, and subsequent complications over time [4,5].…”

“…The prevalence of childhood hypertension varies worldwide, with values at 0.1 to 5% [3]. A large number of studies carried out over the years have registered an increase in prevalence, which is mainly attributable to changes in lifestyle [1][2][3][4][5].…”

“…One of the most important predictors of high BP in children is elevated BMI [4]. Other factors that have been considered predictors for hypertension in childhood are a family history of hypertension or cardiovascular diseases, increased salt intake, male sex, maternal smoking during pregnancy, insufficient physical activity, and low birth weight [6][7][8][9].…”