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Overweight and obesity associated with high blood pressure: a cross-sectional study in Brazilian students* * Extracted from the dissertation: “Associação entre excesso de peso e pressão arterial elevada em escolares do município de Macaé – Rio de Janeiro”, Instituto de Nutrição, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 2017.

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To verify the association among overweight, obesity and high blood pressure in Brazilian students aged between 6 and 10 years old.

Method:

Cross-sectional study carried out in the city of Macaé, RJ, in which body mass, height and blood pressure were collected. The body mass index was calculated using the Anthro Plus software and classified according to SISVAN. High systolic/diastolic blood pressure when ≥ 90th percentile by age, gender and height/age percentile (7th Brazilian Guideline on Hypertension). Logistic regression with a 95% confidence interval, using SPSS software were done.

Results:

A total of 911 children were evaluated and, after stratification by nutritional status, the underweight were excluded. Among the remaining 888 children, the prevalence of overweight was 17.7% and obesity 16.2%. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 34%, with no statistical difference between gender (p=0.57). Overweight was significantly associated with high blood pressure in the 8-9 year old group (OR 1.99; p=004), while obesity was associated in both groups (6-7 year old OR 2.50; p=0.004 and 8-9 year old OR 4.21 p=0.001).

Conclusion:

The results showed that overweight and obesity significantly increased the chance of high blood pressure among children aged 6 to 10 years old.

DESCRIPTORS
Child; Overweight; Obesity; Arterial Pressure; Primary Prevention; Child Health

RESUMO

Objetivo:

Verificar associação entre sobrepeso, obesidade e pressão arterial elevada em escolares brasileiros com idade entre 6 e 10 anos incompletos.

Método:

Estudo seccional realizado no município de Macaé, RJ, em que foi coletado massa corporal, estatura e pressão arterial. O índice de massa corporal foi calculado pelo software Anthro Plus e classificado conforme SISVAN. Pressão arterial sistólica/diastólica elevada quando ≥ percentil 90 por idade, sexo e percentil da estatura/idade (7ª Diretriz Brasileira de Hipertensão). A análise foi por regressão logística com intervalo de confiança 95%, software SPSS.

Resultados:

Foram avaliadas 911 crianças e, após estratificação por estado nutricional, as com magreza foram excluídas. Entre as 888 crianças restantes, a prevalência de sobrepeso foi 17,7% e obesidade 16,2%. A prevalência de pressão arterial elevada foi 34%, não diferindo entre sexo (p=0,57). Sobrepeso foi significativamente associado à pressão elevada no grupo de 8-9 anos (OR 1,99; p=0,004), enquanto a obesidade associou-se em ambos os grupos (6-7 anos OR 2,50; p=0,004 e 8-9 anos OR 4,21 p=0,001).

Conclusão:

Os resultados demonstraram que sobrepeso e obesidade aumentaram expressivamente a chance de pressão arterial elevada entre crianças de 6 a 10 anos incompletos.

DESCRITORES
Criança; Sobrepeso; Obesidade; Pressão Arterial; Prevenção Primária; Saúde da Criança

RESUMEN

Objetivo:

Comprobar la asociación entre sobrepeso, obesidad y presión arterial alta en escolares brasileños con edad comprendida entre 6 y 10 años incompletos.

Método:

Se trata de un estudio seccional realizado en el municipio de Macaé, Río de Janeiro, en el que se recogió masa corporal, estatura y presión arterial. El índice de masa corporal se calculó con el software Anthro Plus y se clasificó conforme SISVAN. Se estima como presión arterial sistólica/diastólica alta ≥ 90 percentil por edad, sexo y percentil de estatura/ edad (7ª Directiva Brasileña de Hipertensión). El análisis se realizó por regresión logística con intervalo de confianza del 95% mediante el software SPSS.

Resultados:

Se evaluó un total de 911 niños y, tras la estratificación por estado nutricional, se excluyeron los delgados. Entre los 888 niños restantes, la prevalencia del sobrepeso era del 17,7% y la obesidad, del 16,2%. La prevalencia de la hipertensión arterial fue del 34%, sin diferencia entre géneros (p=0,57). El sobrepeso estaba asociado significativamente a la hipertensión arterial en el grupo de 8-9 años (OR 1,99; p=0,004), y la obesidad, a ambos grupos (6-7 años OR 2,50; p=0,004 y 8-9 años OR 4,21 p=0,001).

Conclusión:

Los resultados demuestran que el sobrepeso y la obesidad de niños entre 6 y 10 años incompletos aumentan expresivamente la posibilidad de padecer hipertensión.

DESCRIPTORES
Niño; Sobrepeso; Obesidad; Presión Arterial; Prevención Primaria; Salud del Niño

INTRODUCTION

Child overweight and obesity combined has increased significantly over the past 4 decades. In 2016, approximately 340 million children and adolescents aged between 5 and 19 years old were classified as overweight or obese, emphasizing this global pandemic(11. Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in body mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128.9 million children, adolescents, and adults. Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627-42. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3.33
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32...
22. World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Implementation plan: executive summary. Geneva: WHO; 2017.). The World Health Organization (WHO) is categorical when stating that, during childhood, overweight and/or obesity are diseases that can interfere with quality of life(22. World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Implementation plan: executive summary. Geneva: WHO; 2017.), which are related to the early occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). For example, in the short term, elevated blood pressure levels, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia can occur(33. Friedemann C, Heneghan C, Mahtani K, Thompson M, Perera R, Ward AM. Cardiovascular disease risk in healthy children and its association with body mass index: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2012;345:e4759. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e4759
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e4759...
) and, in the long term, ventricular hypertrophy and thickening of the intimal layer of the coronary arteries(44. Araújo J, Ramos E. Paediatric obesity and cardiovascularrisk factors: a life course approach. Porto Biomed J. 2017;2(4):102-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbj.2017.02.004
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbj.2017.02.00...
). When CRF are present in childhood, they tend to last in adolescence and adulthood, being associated with cardiovascular diseases, stroke and, consequently, premature death(55. Magnussen CG, Smith KJ. Pediatric blood pressure and adult preclinical markers of cardiovascular disease. Clin Med Insights Blood Disord. 2016;9:1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887
https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887...
).

Associated with the obesity pandemic, the theme of high blood pressure during childhood has been gaining evidence for some years(66. Pereira FEF, Teixeira FC, Rausch APSB, Ribeiro BG. Prevalência de hipertensão arterial em escolares brasileiros: uma revisão sistemática. Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2016;36(1):85-93. doi: 10.12873/361pereira
https://doi.org/10.12873/361pereira...
). Previously, there was only secondary hypertension or underlying to some disorder, however, it is already known that changes in blood pressure levels in children can also represent the onset of essential hypertension observed in adults(55. Magnussen CG, Smith KJ. Pediatric blood pressure and adult preclinical markers of cardiovascular disease. Clin Med Insights Blood Disord. 2016;9:1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887
https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887...
).

High blood pressure (HBP) in children occurs when the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels are above the 90th percentile for age, gender and height/age percentile, including the cutoff points for borderline HBP and systemic hypertension (SH). It is noteworthy that borderline HBP often precedes SH(77. Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia. VII Diretriz Brasileira de Hipertensão Arterial. Arq Brasil Cardiol. 2016;107(3Supl):1-83. doi: htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152
htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152...
).

In the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort Consortium study(88. Juhola J, Magnussen CG, Berenson GS, Venn A, Burns TL, Sabin MA, et al. Combined effects of child and adult elevated blood pressure on subclinical atherosclerosis: the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort Consortium. Circulation. 2013;128(3):217-24. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.001614
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.1...
), when compiling prospective data from four large longitudinal studies initiated in children, Bogalusa Heart Study(99. Berenson GS, Srinivasan SR, Bao W, Newman WP, Tracy RE, Wattigney WA. Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(23):1650-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199806043382302
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199806043382...
), Muscatine Study(1010. Davis PH, Dawson JD, Riley WA, Lauer RM. Carotid intimal-medial thickness is related to cardiovascular risk factors measured from childhood through middle age: the Muscatine Study. Circulation. 2001;104(23):2815-9. doi: 10.1161/hc4601.099486
https://doi.org/10.1161/hc4601.099486...
), Young Finns Study(1111. Raitakari OT, Juonala M, Kähönen M, Taittonen L, Laitinen T, Mäki-Torkko N, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and carotid artery intima-media thickness in adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. JAMA. 2003;290(17):2277-83. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.290.17.2277
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.290.17.2277...
) and CDAH(1212. Magnussen CG, Venn A, Thomson R, Juonala M, Srinivasan SR, Viikari JS, et al. The association of pediatric low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol dyslipidemia classifications and change in dyslipidemia status with carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood evidence from the cardiovascular risk in young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study, and the CDAH (Childhood Determinants of Adult Health) Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53(10):860-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.061
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.0...
), authors observed that both individuals who had persistently HBP during childhood and individuals with normal BP, but with HBP in adulthood, had a higher risk of increased intima-media thickness of the carotid compared to individuals with normal BP from child to adulthood.

Despite the increase in studies on this topic, Brazil still does not have populational data of national scope reporting the prevalence of borderline HBP and SH in the pediatric population. A review study on the prevalence of hypertension in Brazilian students found a prevalence of HBP ranging between 2.3% and 40.6% in different regions of the country(66. Pereira FEF, Teixeira FC, Rausch APSB, Ribeiro BG. Prevalência de hipertensão arterial em escolares brasileiros: uma revisão sistemática. Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2016;36(1):85-93. doi: 10.12873/361pereira
https://doi.org/10.12873/361pereira...
). More recently, a study carried out with children aged between 7 and 10 years old in public schools in Espírito Santo state found a 25% prevalence of HBP values(1313. Souza CB, Dourado CS, Mill JG, Salarolli LB, Molina MDCB. Prevalence of hypertension in children from public schools. Int J Cardiovascular Sci. 2017;30(1):42-51. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/2359-4802.20170023
http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/2359-4802.2017...
), demonstrating that Brazilian studies carried out exclusively with school-age children and with the intention of screening for changes in blood pressure are still occasional and infrequent.

Considering the current scenario of childhood obesity and its consequences on high blood pressure, this study aimed to verify the association between overweight, obesity and high blood pressure in Brazilian students aged between 6 and 10 years old.

METHOD

Study Design

Cross-sectional study.

Scenario

The study was carried out between March 2013 and November 2014, in municipal public elementary schools in the urban area of the city of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro state. The city had a total of nine administrative sectors, and a school belonging to each sector was listed in a non-probabilistic manner. The total student list had 1779 children. Of these, 224 were outside the investigated age group, one had dwarfism and two were cited repeatedly, totaling 1552 eligible children.

The sample size calculation was performed by selecting a simple random sample (SRS), which was based on the prevalence of 15% HBP for children and adolescents(77. Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia. VII Diretriz Brasileira de Hipertensão Arterial. Arq Brasil Cardiol. 2016;107(3Supl):1-83. doi: htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152
htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152...
). 95% reliability was considered for the Confidence Interval (CI), maximum error between the HBP estimate not exceeding 1.5%, as well as the population size (1552 students). The formula used refers to an SRS for infinite populations. Subsequently, the result found was corrected, considering the size of the population of children distributed among the nine schools participating in the study and within the age range of six to 10 years old. Thus, the final sample size was 911 school children.

Data collection

Demographic data (age, gender), systolic and diastolic BP and anthropometric data (body mass, height) were collected by two trained members of the Integrated Laboratory for Research and Innovation in Sport Sciences (Lapice) team – UFRJ - Campus Macaé.

Blood pressure

The children remained seated and reclined in the chair, with their legs uncrossed, at rest for 5 minutes, and did not practice physical exercise before the measurement. Systolic and diastolic BP was obtained in duplicate with a 2-minute interval between measurements. The digital equipment OMRON HEM-705 CP® (G-Tech International Republican of Korea) was used and the cuff was adjusted to the size of the arm perimeter. Systolic and/or diastolic arterial normotension was classified when the mean BP value was <90th percentile, and HBP when this value was ≥ 90th percentile according to age, gender and height/age percentile, as recommended by the 7th Brazilian Guideline on Hypertension(77. Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia. VII Diretriz Brasileira de Hipertensão Arterial. Arq Brasil Cardiol. 2016;107(3Supl):1-83. doi: htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152
htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152...
).

Anthropometry

Body mass and height were measured in duplicate. One used a Tanita® portable platform scale (Illinois, USA) with a capacity of 150 kg and a variation of 50g, and a Altura Exata® stadiometer (Minas Gerais, Brazil) with a variation of 0.1 cm. The children were wearing light clothes, without shoes and without ornaments on their heads. From the average value of body mass and height measurements and with the help of the Anthro Plus software, BMI-for-age (BMI/A) was calculated, whose values were transformed into z-score and categorized into underweight (Z-score<-2), eutrophy (> z-score −2 and < z-score +1), overweight (> z-score +1 and < z-score +2) and obesity (≥ z-score +2), according to the Food and Nutritional Surveillance System (In Portuguese: SISVAN)(1414. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde; Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde, Departamento de Atenção Básica. Orientações para a coleta e análise de dados antropométricos em serviços de saúde: Norma Técnica do Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional – SISVAN. Brasília; 2011.).

Data analysis

The normality of the sample was analyzed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Means and standard deviations of continuous variables and frequencies of categorical variables (gender, nutritional status, BP) were calculated. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for BP means and the chi-square test for the frequency of HBP according to nutritional status. The age variable was stratified to avoid mistaken inference, with students grouped into 6-7 and 8-9 years old. Logistic regression adjusted for gender was used to verify the association between the exposure variable (overweight/obesity) and the outcome (HBP). The results were expressed in Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval. In all analyzes, a value of p <0.05 was adopted for statistical significance. The Statistical Program for the Social Sciences, version 21.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used.

Ethical aspects

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Veiga de Almeida University, protocol 876333, 2013. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the National Research Ethics Commission, according to the Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council. All those responsible for the children consented to participate in the study. The study was authorized by the Municipal Education Secretariat of the city of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, and by the direction of each participating school.

RESULTS

A total of 911 children with an average age of 7.7 years old were evaluated, with 39.52% (n=351) aged between 6-7 years old and 60.47% (n=537) between 8-9 years old, 51.7% (n=459) were female and the others were male. No significant difference was found according to gender for the analyzed variables, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1
Characterization of the total sample of students aged 6 to 10 years old, according to gender and classification of the z-score of the body mass index – Macaé, RJ, Brazil, 2013/2014.

Underweight was prevalent in 2.5% (n=23) of the initial sample, and these students were excluded from subsequent analyzes, which totaled 888 children. Among these, the total prevalence of overweight and obesity together was 34% (n=302), with 17.7% (n=157) overweight and 16.2% (n=144) obesity. Anthropometric and blood pressure variables differed significantly when nutritional status was considered (Table 1).

When grouped by age, students in the 6-7-year-old group had a prevalence of 17.9% (n=63) for overweight and 15.7% (n=55) for obesity (Table 2). The prevalence was 17.5% (n=94) for overweight and 16.6% (n=89) for obesity in the 8-9-year-old group.

Table 2
Prevalence of normotension and high blood pressure in students aged between 6-7 and 8-9 years old – Macaé, RJ, Brazil, 2013/2014.

Changes in systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure were prevalent in 34% (n=302) of the sample, with no statistically significant difference between genders (boys 35% and girls 33.1%; p=0.57). In groups 6-7 and 8-9 years old, the prevalence of high systolic and/or diastolic BP was 29.1% (n=102) and 37.2% (n=200), respectively. These data are not shown in Table 2.

For both age groups, there was a significant difference among nutritional status, the prevalence of normotension and HBP. A higher prevalence of eutrophic children with normotension was also observed. In contrast, the prevalence of children with obesity and HBP was 43.6% (n=24) in the group 6-7 years old and 62.9% (n=56) in the group 8-9 years old, as shown in Table 2. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the mean systolic and diastolic BP values according to gender and BMI classification.

Figure 1
Distribution of systolic and diastolic blood pressure mean value according to gender and classification of body mass index.

In general, overweight was positively associated with HBP. Overweight was significantly associated with HBP only in the 8-9 year old group, while obesity was associated with high BP in both groups (6-7 years old OR 2.50; p=0.004 and 8-9 years old OR 4.21 p=0.001), when compared to eutrophic, as shown in Table 3. The association remained significant after adjusting for gender.

Table 3
Adjusted and unadjusted binary logistic regression by gender for an association between BMI/age and high blood pressure in students aged between 6-7 and 8-9 years old – Macaé, RJ, Brazil, 2013/2014.

DISCUSSION

This cross-sectional study demonstrated an association between overweight and HBP in the investigated sample. The obesity increased the chance of HBP among children aged 6-7 years old twice. In children aged 8-9 years old, overweight doubled the chance of HBP, while obesity quadrupled that chance. The results found here are important in the context of screening for cardiovascular risk in the child population in primary care, due to the obesity epidemic and its associated comorbidities, including changes in blood pressure levels such as SH.

In the last four decades, national surveys have highlighted the change in the nutritional profile of Brazilian children over the age of five, demonstrating a reduction in malnutrition and an increased incidence of overweight(1515. Conde WL, Monteiro CA. Nutrition transition and double burden of undernutrition and excess of weight in Brazil. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014;100(6 Suppl):S1617-22. doi: https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.084764
https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.114.084764...
). In our study, about one third of the children assessed had this condition, not differing from the Brazilian national reference, the Family Budget Survey (POF, 2008/2009)(1616. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Pesquisa de Orçamento Familiar (POF): antropometria e estado nutricional de crianças, adolescentes e adultos no Brasil. 2009/2008. Rio de Janeiro: IBGE; 2010.). It also interfaces with several more recent national and international studies, and overweight was found in a similar proportion in the children investigated in different regions of Brazil(1717. Teixeira FC, Felix Pereira FE, Pereira AF, Ribeiro BG. Metabolic syndrome's risk factors and its association with nutritional status in schoolchildren. Prev Med Rep. 2017;6:27-32. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.02.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.02....
). In the USA, one third of the children had overweight or obesity(1818. Lobstein T, Jackson-Leach R, Moodie ML, Hall KD, Gortmaker SL, Swinburn BA, et al. Child and adolescent obesity: part of a bigger picture. Lancet. 2015;385(9986):2510-20. doi:10.1111/ijpo.12185
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12185...
). In addition, overweight was prevalent in 41.8% of Mexican children, 22% of Indian children, 19.3% of Argentine children(1919. Gupta N, Shah P, Nayyar S, Misra A. Childhood obesity and themetabolic syndrome in developing countries. Indian J Pediatr. 2013;80 Suppl 1:S28-37. doi: 10.1007/s12098-012-0923-5
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-012-0923-...
) and 38.3% of Spanish children(2020. Serral Cano G, Bru Ciges R, Sánchez-Martínez F, Ariza Cardenal C; Grupo de Evaluación del Proyecto. Sobrepeso y obesidad infantil según variables socioeconómicas en escolares de tercero de primaria de la ciudad de Barcelona. Nutr Hosp. 2019; 36(5):1043-8. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.02205
http://dx.doi.org/10.20960/nh.02205...
).

Childhood overweight and obesity are complex diseases and are related to behavioral, socioeconomic and demographic variables(22. World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Implementation plan: executive summary. Geneva: WHO; 2017.,55. Magnussen CG, Smith KJ. Pediatric blood pressure and adult preclinical markers of cardiovascular disease. Clin Med Insights Blood Disord. 2016;9:1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887
https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887...
,2121. Marchi-Alves LM, Rigotti AR, Nogueira MS, Cesarino CB, Godoy S. Metabolic syndrome components in arterial hypertension. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2012;46(6):1348-53. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342012000600010
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-6234201200...
). Environmental factors are usually the main determinants of children's nutritional status, contributing to the increase in body mass. Changes in eating habits, such as excessive intake of ultra-processed foods rich in sugars, sodium and saturated fats, along with physically inactive behavior, can favor a significant increase in the percentage of children overweight(2222. Setayeshgar S, Ekwaru JP, Maximova K, Majumdar SR, Storey KE, McGavock J, et al. Dietary intake and prospective changes in cardiometabolic risk factors in children and youth. Appl Physiol Nutri Metab. 2016;42(1):39-45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2016-0215
https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2016-0215...
). Overweight or obese children usually have higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, in addition to higher prevalence of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance(1717. Teixeira FC, Felix Pereira FE, Pereira AF, Ribeiro BG. Metabolic syndrome's risk factors and its association with nutritional status in schoolchildren. Prev Med Rep. 2017;6:27-32. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.02.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.02....
), favoring the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD)(33. Friedemann C, Heneghan C, Mahtani K, Thompson M, Perera R, Ward AM. Cardiovascular disease risk in healthy children and its association with body mass index: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2012;345:e4759. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e4759
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e4759...
). In this study, the prevalence of HBP was 34%, not differing by gender. As observed in a study conducted with adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years old(2323. Ghomari-Boukhatem H, Bouchouicha A, Mekki K, Chenni K, Belhadj M, Bouchenak M. Blood pressure, dyslipidemia and inflammatory factors are related to body mass index in scholar adolescents. Arch Med Sci. 2017;13(1):46-52. doi: 10.5114/aoms.2017.64713
https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2017.64713...
), the present results showed that both systolic and diastolic BP increased significantly among overweight and obese students, in both age groups (6-7 and 8-9 years old). In a study conducted with children and adolescents in China, aged between 7 and 18 years old, high prevalence of HBP was also found among those who had overweight and obesity, of 19% and 23.2%, respectively(2424. Zhang CX, Shi JD, Huang HY, Feng LM, Ma J. Nutritional status and its relationship with blood pressure among children and adolescents in South China. Eur J Pediatri. 2012;171(7):1073-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-012-1684-x
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-012-1684-...
). Although this study had lower prevalence than those observed in the present research, the proportion is also high. The comparability of results is limited due to the lower frequency of studies conducted exclusively with children aged between 6 and 10 years old. A systematic review of BP among Brazilian students showed a great divergence in the prevalence of HBP among the studies, according to the applied methods (number of visits, number of measures per visit, time of rest) and region of the country, which could explain the great variability between the present findings and other studies on the same topic(66. Pereira FEF, Teixeira FC, Rausch APSB, Ribeiro BG. Prevalência de hipertensão arterial em escolares brasileiros: uma revisão sistemática. Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2016;36(1):85-93. doi: 10.12873/361pereira
https://doi.org/10.12873/361pereira...
).

Hypertension related to overweight can be observed in children from 8 years old onwards (overweight boys and girls OR 3.3 and OR 3.5, respectively; boys and girls with obesity OR 10.7 and OR 13, 5, respectively)(2525. Falaschetti E, Hingorani AD, Jones A, Charakida M, Finer N, Whincup P, et al. Adiposity and cardiovascular risk factors in a large contemporary population of pre-pubertal children. Eur Heart J. 2010;31(24):3063-72. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehq355
https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehq355...
). In this study, obesity was associated with HBP in both age groups. Obese children aged 6-7 years old are 150% more likely to have HBP when compared to normal weight children (OR 2.5 p=0.003), with the percentage increasing to more than 300% in the 8- 9 year old group (OR 4.21 p=0.001). In a national study carried out with students aged between 6 to 11 years old in the state of Paraná, an even greater chance was found there for obese children (OR 5.4 95% CI: 4.23–6.89)(2626. Rosaneli CF, Baena CP, Auler F, Nakashima ATA, Netto-Oliveira ER, Oliveira AB, et al. Elevated blood pressure and obesity in childhood: a cross-sectional evaluation of 4,609 schoolchildren. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2014;103(3):238-44. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20140104
http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20140104...
).

HBP in childhood can predict metabolic and structural changes at an early age, as demonstrated in the classic longitudinal studies initiated in children - Bogalusa Heart Study(99. Berenson GS, Srinivasan SR, Bao W, Newman WP, Tracy RE, Wattigney WA. Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(23):1650-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199806043382302
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199806043382...
), Muscatine Study(1010. Davis PH, Dawson JD, Riley WA, Lauer RM. Carotid intimal-medial thickness is related to cardiovascular risk factors measured from childhood through middle age: the Muscatine Study. Circulation. 2001;104(23):2815-9. doi: 10.1161/hc4601.099486
https://doi.org/10.1161/hc4601.099486...
), Young Finns Study(1111. Raitakari OT, Juonala M, Kähönen M, Taittonen L, Laitinen T, Mäki-Torkko N, et al. Cardiovascular risk factors in childhood and carotid artery intima-media thickness in adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in Young Finns Study. JAMA. 2003;290(17):2277-83. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.290.17.2277
https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.290.17.2277...
) and CDAH(1212. Magnussen CG, Venn A, Thomson R, Juonala M, Srinivasan SR, Viikari JS, et al. The association of pediatric low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol dyslipidemia classifications and change in dyslipidemia status with carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood evidence from the cardiovascular risk in young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study, and the CDAH (Childhood Determinants of Adult Health) Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53(10):860-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.061
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.0...
). Likewise, there is evidence that children with high BP have a sustained risk of becoming hypertensive adults due to the permanent damage that can affect target organs(55. Magnussen CG, Smith KJ. Pediatric blood pressure and adult preclinical markers of cardiovascular disease. Clin Med Insights Blood Disord. 2016;9:1-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887
https://doi.org/10.4137/CMBD.S18887...
,99. Berenson GS, Srinivasan SR, Bao W, Newman WP, Tracy RE, Wattigney WA. Association between multiple cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis in children and young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(23):1650-6. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199806043382302
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199806043382...
1212. Magnussen CG, Venn A, Thomson R, Juonala M, Srinivasan SR, Viikari JS, et al. The association of pediatric low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol dyslipidemia classifications and change in dyslipidemia status with carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood evidence from the cardiovascular risk in young Finns Study, the Bogalusa Heart Study, and the CDAH (Childhood Determinants of Adult Health) Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53(10):860-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.061
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2008.09.0...
). Acording to the American Academy of Pediatrics(2727. Flynn JF, Kaelber DC, Baker-Smith CM, Blowey D, Carroll AE, Daniels SR, et al. Clinical practice guideline for screening and management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017;140(3):e20171904. doi: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1904
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1904...
), adopting the strategy of primary prevention of SH is essential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in youth. An essential component of this strategy is the screening of BP in children. The 7th Brazilian Guideline on Hypertension recommends annual BP measurement from 3 years old onwards, and in case of HBP, it must be confirmed with repeated measurements(77. Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia. VII Diretriz Brasileira de Hipertensão Arterial. Arq Brasil Cardiol. 2016;107(3Supl):1-83. doi: htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152
htpp://dx.doi.org/10.5935/abc.20160152...
). Thus, the performance of pediatric nursing professionals in primary care is very important, especially when considering childhood as a phase of potentials and vulnerability to diseases and conditions(2828. Regino DSG, Nascimento JSG, Parada CMGL, Duarte MTC, Tonete VLP. Training and evaluation of professional competency in pediatric nursing: perspective of university professors. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2019;53:e03454. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2018002703454
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2018...
).

It is important to emphasize that all children should be screened for changes in blood pressure levels, as HBP does not seem to be an uncommon condition, even in children with appropriate weight. In this study, one found a prevalence of 23.6% of HBP in eutrophic children aged 6-7 years old and 28.8% in those aged 8-9 years old. Another Brazilian study identified 18.5% of eutrophic students, between 7 and 17 years old, with HBP, suggesting that this may also be influenced by other variables besides weight(2929. Cordeiro JP, Dalmaso SB, Anceschi AS, Sá FGS, Ferreira LG, Cunha MRH, et al. Hipertensão em estudantes da rede pública de Vitória/ES: influência do sobrepeso e obesidade. Rev Bras Med Esporte. 2016;22(1):59-65. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/1517-869220162201134305
https://doi.org/10.1590/1517-86922016220...
). Factors such as ethnicity, low birth weight, inflammation, lifestyle and inappropriate eating habits are mentioned as influencing the genesis of SH(22. World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Implementation plan: executive summary. Geneva: WHO; 2017.,66. Pereira FEF, Teixeira FC, Rausch APSB, Ribeiro BG. Prevalência de hipertensão arterial em escolares brasileiros: uma revisão sistemática. Nutr Clín Diet Hosp. 2016;36(1):85-93. doi: 10.12873/361pereira
https://doi.org/10.12873/361pereira...
,2222. Setayeshgar S, Ekwaru JP, Maximova K, Majumdar SR, Storey KE, McGavock J, et al. Dietary intake and prospective changes in cardiometabolic risk factors in children and youth. Appl Physiol Nutri Metab. 2016;42(1):39-45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2016-0215
https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2016-0215...
). However, some of them, such as eating habits and a healthy lifestyle, seem to be determinant for changes in BP during the transition from childhood to adulthood(22. World Health Organization. Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. Implementation plan: executive summary. Geneva: WHO; 2017.). Recently, the Ministry of Health provided the document entitled “Cardioprotective Food: Guidance Manual for Primary Health Care Professionals”, which aims to subsidize primary care health professionals in order to promote health and improve Brazilian food and nutritional security, contributing to the reduction of the development of cardiovascular diseases(3030. Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Alimentação cardioprotetora: manual de orientações para os profissionais de saúde da Atenção Básica. Brasília: MS/Hospital do Coração; 2018.).

The results presented in this study are relevant, but the limitations inherent in sectional studies must be considered, among them the lesser strength in establishing a causal relationship among overweight, obesity and HBP, in addition to the absence of other variables that could have an association with blood pressure. It is also noteworthy that the BP measurement performed in just one meeting does not constitute a diagnosis. Thus, children identified with HBP were instructed to seek the primary health center located in the region closest to their house.

CONCLUSION

The results showed that overweight and obesity increased the chance of HBP among children aged 6 to 10 years old. In addition, regardless of weight, high blood pressure levels were also observed in eutrophic children. Thus, one signals the need for greater attention about the cardiovascular health of the pediatric population since HBP in childhood can be related to SH in adulthood. It is also emphasized the need for prevention and intervention programs to be efficiently applied in the school environment, considering that it facilitates the greater reach of the child population. One suggests that further investigations be carried out including other variables related to tension changes and which were not addressed here.

  • *
    Extracted from the dissertation: “Associação entre excesso de peso e pressão arterial elevada em escolares do município de Macaé – Rio de Janeiro”, Instituto de Nutrição, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 2017.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    11 Dec 2020
  • Date of issue
    2020

History

  • Received
    16 Nov 2019
  • Accepted
    03 Mar 2020
Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Enfermagem Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 419 , 05403-000 São Paulo - SP/ Brasil, Tel./Fax: (55 11) 3061-7553, - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: reeusp@usp.br