Association of interarm blood pressure difference with selected body circumferences among Walter Sisulu University community.

BACKGROUND: A high interarm blood pressure difference (IAD) has been identified as a precursor of vascular diseases. Anthropometric measures for obesity such as body circumferences including waist circumference (WC), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and neck circumference (NC) have been associated with a high IAD in Western countries. However, the prevalence of IAD and its association with body circumferences in South African communities such as universities is not well established. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the correlation of IAD with selected body circumferences among the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) community. METHODS: A total of 230 participants, 117 males and 113 females, consisting of 185 students and 45 staff members from WSU, aged 18-27 and 18-63 years respectively, participated in this cross-sectional study. The selected body circumferences: WC, MUAC, and NC were measured using standard procedures. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured in both arms simultaneously using automated machines. IAD was achieved by calculating differences in SBP and DBP between the left (L) and right (R) arms, (R -L), and getting the absolute value, L-R (|L-R|). RESULTS: 14.78% of the participants had an interarm SBP difference (IASBPD) ≥ 10 mmHg, and 4.35% of participants had an interarm DBP difference (IADBPD) ≥ 10 mmHg. In a Pearson's correlation analysis, IASBPD was positively correlated with the selected body circumferences (WC, r = 0.29; P < 0.001; MUAC, r = 0.35; P < 0.001; NC, r = 0.27; P < 0.001) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (r = 0.30; P < 0.001). In the multivariable-adjusted regression analyses, IASBPD was positively associated with MUAC (adjusted R2 = 0.128, ß = 0.271 (95% CI = 0.09; 0.60), P = 0.008), and NC (adjusted R2 = 0.119, ß = 0.190 (95% CI = 0.01; 0.32), P = 0.032) only, adjusted for MAP, age, gender, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol. There was no association of body circumferences with IADBPD. CONCLUSION: A high IAD is common among students and staff members of the WSU community. Furthermore, IAD showed a positive correlation with MUAC and NC. These body circumferences can serve as indicators of high IAD, aiding in the early detection and prevention of vascular diseases.

The relationship between mid-upper arm circumference and blood pressure in Walter Sisulu University community.

Prevalence of hypertension is increasing to higher levels in South Africa. Anthropometric measures for obesity are well known to predict the development of hypertension. However, the relationship between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and blood pressure (BP) is scant in South African communities such as universities. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the correlation between MUAC and BP among the community of Walter Sisulu University (WSU). A total of 230 participants from WSU (students and staff members), 113 females and 117 males aged ≥ 18 years participated in this cross-sectional study. MUAC, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were measured using standard procedures. In a Pearson's correlation analysis, MUAC was positively correlated with SBP and DBP in both women (SBP; r = 0.53, P< 0.001; DBP; r = 0.45 P < 0.001) and men (SBP; r = 0.29 P = 0.001; DBP; r = 0.25 P = 0.007). Furthermore, in the multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, MUAC was positively associated with SBP in women only (adjusted R2 = 0.489, ß = 0.29 (95% CI = 0.16; 2.08)), P =0.023) after adjusted for age, body fat percentage, waist-to-height ratio, smoking and alcohol. MUAC is positively correlated with BP in women, not in men of WSU community. MUAC, as a simple and low-cost quantifiable parameter, could be employed as a risk indicator in the early detection and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in women.

This study investigated the use of an anthropometric measurement as an indicator for hypertension. Anthropometric measurements are non-invasive quantitative measurements of the human body. Within this study, we evaluated the productiveness of mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) as an indicator for hypertension in the WSU community. Studies have shown that MUAC, being a simple and cost-effective method, can be employed in resource-limited settings. Furthermore, the findings of this study have revealed a positive correlation between MUAC and blood pressure in women from the WSU community, indicating that the greater their MUAC, the higher their blood pressure, further emphasizing their increased risk of developing hypertension. Consequently, these findings will contribute in the prevention of hypertension and obesity, even in areas where accessibility to expensive resources is limited. Furthermore, this investigation has raised awareness about hypertension and obesity within the WSU community, encompassing individuals from diverse geographical regions and racial backgrounds. Thus, we firmly believe that this study has had a substantial impact. Additionally, it will serve as a motivation for the community to transition from unhealthy lifestyles to healthier ones, which include dietary improvements, increased physical activity, and decreased alcohol consumption. Ultimately, these changes will significantly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Algoritmo para desarrollar habilidades de razonamiento clínico en los estudiantes noveles de medicina / An algorithm for developing clinical reasoning skills in new medical students

La introducción temprana del aprendizaje basado en la solución de problemas en la formación de grado pudiera contribuir a desarrollar habilidades de razonamiento clínico en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud. El aprendizaje basado en la solución de problemas brinda también una oportunidad de propiciar la integración interdisciplinar. El presente estudio tiene el objetivo de revisar un algoritmo creado para desarrollar habilidades de razonamiento clínico, mediante la imitación de los procederes de la toma de decisiones en el proceso de atención, al tiempo que se hace evidente la presencia de los contenidos de las ciencias básicas biomédicas. Cuando los casos-problemas se trabajan develando la situación del paciente de manera progresiva, se crea la posibilidad de abordar el método hipotético-deductivo como estrategia analítica de cognición. El algoritmo que se propone ayuda a que el estudiante desarrolle conscientemente su estrategia de razonamiento analítico en la búsqueda de la solución al problema; los diez pasos concebidos facilitan la ruta de este descubrimiento. Durante el proceso de investigación-búsqueda van emergiendo las necesidades de aprendizaje que se irán incorporando armónicamente al procedimiento general. Esta propuesta metodológica ha sido acogida favorablemente por los estudiantes, quienes argumentan que les ha propiciado una mejor comprensión de los casos y han logrado visualizar el vínculo entre los contenidos y las manifestaciones, de modo que comienzan a pensar en objetos de conocimiento más que en asignaturas independientes. La descomposición del todo en sus partes permite que el aprendizaje tenga significado para el estudiante y contrarresta, en alguna medida, la lentitud que a veces se produce al iniciar el caso(AU)

The early introduction of problem solving-based learning in undergraduate formation could contribute to develop clinical reasoning skills in health science students. Problem solving-based learning also provides an opportunity to foster interdisciplinary integration. The present study aims to review an algorithm created to develop clinical reasoning skills, through the imitation of decision-making procedures in the care process, while the presence of the contents of the basic biomedical sciences is evident. When the problem cases are analyzed and solved revealing the patient's situation progressively, the possibility is created for addressing the hypothetical-deductive method as an analytical strategy of cognition. The proposed algorithm helps the student develop consciously his/her analytical reasoning strategy in the search for the solution to the problem; the ten steps conceived facilitate the route to this discovery. During the research-search process, the learning needs that will be harmoniously incorporated into the general procedure emerge. This methodological proposal has been favorably received by the students, who argue that it has given them a better understanding of the cases and have managed to visualize the association between the contents and the manifestations, so that they begin to think about objects of knowledge rather than independent subjects. The decomposition of the whole into its parts allows for learning to have a meaning for the student and counteracts, to some extent, the slowness that sometimes occurs when the case starts(AU)