The association of overweight and obesity with blood pressure among Chinese children and adolescents / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the association between obesity and high blood pressure (BP) in Chinese children and adolescents.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure measurements of 197 191 children aged 7-17 years were obtained from a Chinese national survey in 2010. Obesity and high BP were defined according to the reference values for Chinese children. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of different BMI categories for high BP, as well as the population attributable risk percent (PAR%), were also calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of high BP was 16.1% for boys and 12.9% for girls in 2010. Overweight and obese children had a significantly higher prevalence of high BP than non-overweight children in both boys and girls in each age group. ORs (95% CI) for high BP were 4.1 (3.9, 4.4) in obese boys and 4.0 (3.7, 4.3) in obese girls. The overall PAR% for high BP due to overweight and obesity was 14.4%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Overweight and obese children have a significantly higher risk of high BP than non-overweight children. Eliminating overweight and obesity could reduce 14.4% of high BP cases.</p>