This study aimed to investigate the association of overweight and obesity with hypertension in adolescents from public schools in Curitiba, southern Brazil. The sample comprised 1,549 randomly selected adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (744 males). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and classified according to Conde and Monteiro (2006). Blood pressure was measured by the auscultation method on two occasions (different days) and was classified according to the fourth report of the National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP). Prevalence ratio was used as a measure of association. Overweight and obesity were observed in 23% and 5.8% of boys, respectively. Among girls, 18.8% were overweight and 5.6% were obese. After two measurements, 7% of boys had prehypertension and 10.5% had hypertension. Prehypertension and hypertension were observed in 5.2% and 9.9% of girls, respectively. Obesity was significantly associated with high blood pressure among boys (PR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.07-1.32). Overweight (PR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04-1.17) and obese (PR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.13-1.40) girls were more likely to have high blood pressure levels in comparison to normal weight adolescents. These results showed alarming estimates of hypertension among young people and that the reduction of obesity during adolescence should be focused on public policies for hypertension prevention in the population.
Adolescent; Hypertension; Obesity; Overweight
