Prevalence and influencing factors of elevated blood pressure among primary and middle school students in Anhui Province / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To analyze the prevalence of elevated blood pressure among primary and middle school students in Anhui Province in 2022, as well as its influencing factors, so as to provide scientific evidence for the development of effective measures to prevent and control elevated blood pressure among children and adolescents.@*Methods@#Using data from the 2022 "Monitoring of Common Diseases and health Influencing Factors of Students" in Anhui Province, a total of 210 360 primary and middle school students aged 7 to 17 with complete information. Statistical analysis, including independent sample t tests, analysis of variance, and Chi square tests, were conducted to compare blood pressure differences and prevalence rates among students with different characteristics. Generalized linear mixed models were established to analyze the influencing factors of elevated blood pressure in children and adolescents.@*Results@#The overall prevalence of elevated blood pressure among primary and middle school students in Anhui Province was 22.3%, higher among high school students (25.6%) and junior high school students ( 23.7%) than elementary school students (20.4%) ( χ 2=528.49, P < 0.01 ); higher among obese(33.3%) and overweight students (24.9%) than that of normal students (18.6%) ( χ 2=3 704.52, P <0.01), higher among rural students (23.1%) than urban students (21.4%) ( χ 2=83.39, P <0.01), and higher in the northern part of Anhui Province (26.9%) than in the central part (21.9%) and southern part (17.6%) ( χ 2=1 777.51, P <0.01). The generalized linear mixed models revealed that girls, high school stage, overweight, obese, living in the northern part of Anhui Province, and living in rural were all positively correlated with elevated blood pressure( OR =1.11，1.25，1.47，1.45，2.24，1.21，1.67， P <0.01).@*Conclusions@#The prevalence of elevated blood pressure among children and adolescents in Anhui Province is the highest in the country. It is recommended that relevant departments promptly formulate corresponding measures to curb the increasing trend of elevated blood pressure and protect the physical and mental health of children and adolescents.