The relationships between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and select demographic, dietary, life-style, and anthropometric variables were examined for a specialized sample of 10,419 adults, 18 years and over, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I conducted in 1971-1974. The bivariate relationships of blood pressure to each of the measurements above were examined using zero-order correlation coefficients, and Step-wise linear regression. Age and body mass index (BMI) played a major role in accounting for most of the variance in blood pressure. These two indices alone accounted for 94.5% and 89.0% of the variance in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In contrast, only 5.5% and 11.0% of the changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were explained by all other variables combined. Diet explained less than 1 % of the total variance observed for blood pressure for whites, and less than 5% for nonwhites. Select dietary variables such as sodium/potassium ratio, calories from fat, and % saturated fat were not significantly (p < 0.001) correlated to blood pressure. On the other hand, food calcium, sodium/calcium ratio, food vitamin C, and calcium/phosphorus ratio were significantly correlated to both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
(Hypertension 4 (supp III): III-135-III-142, 1982) KEY WORDS • diet • anthropometry • life style • demography • blood pressureB LOOD pressure is an important risk factor in cardiovascular mortality. 1 One in five persons (20.6%) in the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the U.S., 17 years of age and over, has been diagnosed as having hypertension. 2 Elevated blood pressure is linked to several factors including genetics, family history, obesity, and dietary intake. This study examines the relationship of blood pressure to demographic, dietary, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors in a select sample of the U.S. population. A brief review of each variable is provided.
