Abstract
Objectives:
to identify the prevalence of high arterial blood pressure (ABP) and associated factors in adolescents from Uruguaiana (RS), 2011.
Methods:
a probabilistic study was carried out with adolescents aged between 10 and 17 years enrolled in public schools. The ABP was measured by auscultation and classified as normal or high (ABP above the 90th percentile). Socio-demographic, psychosocial and behavioral factors, nutritional status and physical condition were assessed. A logistic regression analysis was carried out using a hierarchical theoretical model.
Results:
the study covered 1455 adolescents (741 female). The prevalence of high systolic and diastolic ABP was 16.4% (CI95%: 14.4-18.4) and 18.5% (CI95%: 16.4-20.6), respectively. The factors that remained associated with high systolic and diastolic ABP in the final model were: perceiving oneself to be less fit than one’s peers (systolic OR: 2.27; CI95%: 1.22-4.23; diastolic OR: 2.99; CI95%: 1.34-6.70) and overweight and obesity (systolic OR: 9.29; CI95%: 4.89-17.69; diastolic OR: 4.70; CI95%: 2.61-8.45). Female adolescents (OR: 1.39; CI95%: 1.02-1.90) and those of a higher socio-economic status (OR: 2.39; CI95%: 1.31-4.36) were more likely to present with high systolic ABP.
Conclusions:
the prevalence of high ABP found in adolescents was high. To prevent this, programs to combat excess weight should be designed, taking into consideration socio-demographic characteristics such as sex and socio-economic status.
Key words
Students; Hypertension; Risk factors; Motor activity; Obesity; Cross-sectional studies