ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to establish reference values for 24 h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring in an African community. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We randomly recruited 1219 participants of African ancestry from Soweto, a township in Johannesburg. Twenty-four hour ABP was measured using ABP monitors (model 90207; Spacelab). Complete 24 h ABP measurements from 530 healthy participants with a mean age of 38 were used to determine thresholds. RESULTS: Twenty-four hour, daytime and night-time systolic and diastolic BP increased significantly with age. The 95th prediction bands of this relation at age 38 years were â¼135/85 mmHg for 24 h, 140/90 mmHg for daytime and 130/80 mmHg for night-time ABP values, respectively. These thresholds and absolute ABP values are similar to those observed in individuals of other demographics. These thresholds increase with age by an average of 1.5 mmHg with each decade's increase in age. CONCLUSION: Pending authentication in prospective outcome-based studies, these values might be considered preliminary thresholds to diagnose hypertension in individuals of African descent.
Subject(s)
Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory , Blood Pressure/physiology , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Masked Hypertension/diagnosis , Masked Hypertension/physiopathology , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Random Allocation , Reference Values , South Africa , Systole , White Coat Hypertension/diagnosis , White Coat Hypertension/physiopathology , Young AdultABSTRACT
The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among female adolescents is a global health problem. In developing countries such as South Africa, this increase is often associated with urbanisation and the adoption of a Western lifestyle. Two aspects of the Western lifestyle that contribute to the development of overweight and obesity are a decrease in physical activity levels and an increase in the consumption of energy-dense food, high in fats and refined sugar. Information on the prevalence of increased body fatness in populations in transition is scarce, but necessary for effective planning and intervention. Current indications are that there is a trend towards unhealthy behaviour among high-school girls, globally and in South Africa. Schools can play an important role in the prevention of overweight and obesity among schoolgirls. It is recommended that school governing bodies institute remedial action to prevent weight gain in children, especially girls.
