SummaryObjectives: Estimate the prevalence of hypertension and some cardiovascular risk factors in the adult population of a major city in Brazil.Methods: Descriptive, observational, transversal population-based study substantiated by the home survey of a simple random sample (>18 years old). Standardized questionnaires were used to obtain sociodemographic information, measurements of blood pressure (2 measurements), weight, height, and abdominal circumference (AC). Microsoft Access and Epi Info 6 were used for data storage and analysis, respectively. The last blood pressure reading was used (hypertension: BP≥140x90mmHg).Results: The study evaluated 1,739 individuals (87% of the estimated sample). There was a predominance of females (65.4%) and mean age was 39.7 years (±15.6); arterial hypertension prevalence was 36.4%, higher for the male population (41.8%) when compared to females (31.8%). Correlation between Hypertension and Body Mass Index was positive, as well as with AC and age. The female gender and higher income were protective factors against hypertension. Prevalence of overweight and obesity were 30.0% and 13.6%, respectively; overweight was higher among females and obesity among males. The prevalence of smoking was 20.1%, more frequent among males (27.1%), when compared to females (16.4%). A sedentary lifestyle was observed in 62.3% of the population, with no difference between the genders. Regular alcohol consumption was reported by 44.4% of the individuals, being more frequent in males.Conclusion: Hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors (particularly overweight/obesity) indicators are high, reinforcing the need for objective nationwide measures to fight this disease, in order to reduce CVD morbidity and mortality.

Background: Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), considered a public health problem due to its high prevalence and difficult control, is also described as one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of self-reported weight and height at the time of diagnosing obesity, and to identify the sociodemographic and individual characteristics that might be a source of information bias. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional population-based study carried out in the city of Goiânia in 2001. Interviews were conducted with 1,023 individuals aged 20-64 years, in their homes, to collect sociodemographic and self-reported weight and height information. On the same occasion, weight and height measurements were made on these individuals. The mean differences and correlation coefficients between self-reported and measured data were calculated according to age, body mass index (BMI), schooling, income and height. RESULTS:Both the men and women overestimated their heights (p<0.05), by 0.9 cm and 2.2 cm, respectively. There was no difference between self-reported and measured weights, either for the men (-0.44 kg; p=0.06) or for the women (-0.03 kg; p>0.05). The behavior of overestimating height was influenced by age, schooling, height and body mass index. Although this index obtained from the self-reported data was underestimated (p<0.05), by 0.27 kg/m 2 and 0.67 kg/m 2 for men and women respectively, the measured and self-reported data presented a high degree of agreement. Both the sensitivity and specificity of the self-reported body mass index were high, in relation to identifying the measured index. CONCLUSIONS:In epidemiological studies for monitoring the prevalence of excess weight in populations, self-reported weights and heights constitute reliable data, which gives validity to the methodology utilized.

Although considered to be almost always a clinically silent disease, systemic hypertension impairs the quality of life of patients who suffer from it.

Original Article M a i l i n g A d d r e s s : E s t e l a m a r i s T . M o n e g o OBJECTIVETo investigate the occurrence and association of arterial hypertension with several lifestyle variables. METHODSTransversal population-based study with a random sample of students (7 to 14 years of age) of public and private schools. Variables investigated were nutritional status, blood pressure, and lifestyle (tobacco use, alcohol intake, physical activity and eating habits). RESULTSOut of the 3,169 schoolchildren assessed, 5.0% had arterial hypertension and 6.2% had normal-high blood pressure. Classifi cation by gender shows boys 6.4% and girls 6.0% with normal-high blood pressure, and boys 4.3% and girls 5.7% with arterial hypertension. Body mass index (BMI) measurements identifi ed 16.0% excess weight students, 4.9% of whom were obese. A signifi cant association (p = 0.01) between arterial hypertension and excess weight was observed. Among the students participating in the study, 11.6% did not attend physical education classes and 37.8% had sedentary leisure habits. Twenty students (0.6%) were smokers and 32.7% had already experimented with alcohol. None of these variables showed statistical signifi cance as to blood pressure values and nutritional status. CONCLUSIONIn light of the fi ndings in this study which show schoolchildren with a higher than expected frequency of mean blood pressure and BMI values, associated with a lifestyle that tends to favour the development of cardiovascular diseases, we felt led to propose interventional measures focused on the school as an agent of change and capable of conveying information to family units. This possibility encourages us to propose that schools be partners in promoting health. KEY WORDSPrevention and control, epidemiology, anthropometry, arterial blood pressure, student health

objective: To evaluate the association between anthropometric indexes -body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) -and hypertension, and to evaluate the predictive value of these indexes in detecting hypertension. Methods:Cross-sectional population study conducted in the city of Goiânia (GO) with a sample of 1,238 adults aged twenty to 64 years, in 2001. Total obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ; abdominal obesity was defined as level 2 WC ≥ 88 cm for women and ≥ 102 cm for men, and hypertension was defined as systolic pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, or diastolic pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or utilization of hypotensive drugs). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between anthropometric indexes and hypertension. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of BMI (≥ 30) and level 2 WC as predictive factors of hypertension, and to determine the best predictive cut-off points for hypertension.results: WC was associated with hypertension in both genders. Level 2 WC and BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 showed a low sensitivity in identifying hypertension. The best predictive cut-off points for hypertension coincided with level 1 WC (≥ 80 cm) and with BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 (overweight) for women, and were lower than the values of level 1 WC and of overweight for men.conclusion: Level 2 WC and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 are not adequate to identify the groups at the highest risk of hypertension, since this risk rises with small increases in adiposity.Key words: Waist circumference, body mass index, hypertension, prediction.Obesity is defined as an excess body fat resulting from a chronic imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure 1 . Among the harmful effects of obesity we can point out the fact that it is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancer. Obesity is also strongly associated with other cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemias), thus increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [1][2][3][4] . For the diagnosis of obesity, there are several indirect methods able to precisely estimate the total amount of body fat as well as its distribution. Among these methods we can point out computed tomography, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and magnetic resonance imaging. However, when simplicity and costs of the several methods are considered, the use of anthropometric indexes -body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), or only waist circumference (WC) and skinfolds (SF) 4 -has been recommended to conduct epidemiological studies.Although BMI does not measure body composition, it is a potentially good indicator of the nutritional status in epidemiological studies. Its utilization is based on results of population studies showing that BMI is weakly correlated with height and strongly correlated with total fat mass, and on the association between high BMI and morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, colon cancer, and biliar...

This study focused on adult obesity prevalence in Goiânia, Goiás State, Brazil, and the association between socio-demographic variables, lifestyle, physical IntroductionThe rapid increase in obesity among the world's population has become a major public health problem, affecting both developed and developing countries.According to the World Health Organization's multi-center study entitled Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases (MONICA), including 48 population groups in 23 countries (1983)(1984)(1985)(1986), 50 to 75% of adults aged 35 to 64 had body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25kg/m 2 . Obesity prevalence was some 15% for males and 22% for females, but with considerable variability within and between countries 1 .In Brazil, according to data from the Family Budget Survey (POF 2002(POF -2003 2 , some 40.6% of adults had excessive body weight. Comparing data from the POF 2002-2003 with those from the National Study on Family Expenditure (ENDEF 1974(ENDEF -1975, over the course of 30 years the percentage of obese adults nearly doubled (from 5.7 to 10.9%). This increase occurred in all socioeconomic strata but was proportionally higher in low-income families 2,3 .This increased obesity prevalence overloads health services, since obesity is frequently associated with diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension, thus favoring the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases 4,5,6 .The development of obesity involves multiple factors, such as food consumption, patterns ARTIGO ARTICLE 2694Cad. Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, 23(11

Our data reinforce the necessity of a more aggressive approach in the treatment of these patients, despite the social and economic difficulties in adhering to treatment.