Anthropometric indices, but not birth weight, are associated with high blood pressure risk among Malay adolescents in Kuala Lumpur

Factors associated with blood pressure and nutritional status among adolescents: a cross-sectional study

“…In terms of blood pressure, this study demonstrated that age and body height were significantly correlated with both SBP and DBP, consistent with previous studies conducted in Malaysia (Poh et al, 2022), Nigeria (Kobylińska et al, 2022), and Maryland (Devonshire et al, 2016). Furthermore, sex, age, and height are recognized as indicators of blood pressure percentile assessment in children under 13 years old (Galescu et al, 2012;Flynn et al, 2017), and more than 30% of the subjects in this study in these categories.…”

“…This study found that BMI/A was the main predictor of BP in adolescents aged 10-18 years, with a positive association with SBP and DBP. Another study in Malaysia found that nutritional status is a good predictor of hypertension, with an increase in nutritional status contributing to increased SBP and DBP in adolescents (Poh et al, 2022). Previous studies have also identified a correlation between nutritional status and hypertension, as well as the significant impact of elevated sodium intake on both conditions (Furqonia, Farapti and Notobroto, 2023).…”

“…As nearly 70% of the subjects had already undergone puberty at the time of measurement, this study found that boys had a higher stature than girls and also affected SBP. During puberty, both girls and boys experience a rapid increase in BP, but boys tend to have higher increases in SBP (Poh et al, 2022). In another study, it was found that papilla fungiform density influences blood pressure, being higher in girls, and 4.2% of boys with high saltiness threshold had a higher SBP and DBP (Syifadhiya and Farapti, 2023).…”

“…Additionally, age has been identified as a key predictor of BP in girls, whereas age at menarche is a predictor for boys. A study in Malaysia found that age was inversely correlated with SBP and DBP (Poh et al, 2022), and differences in pubertal development between the sexes contributed to a higher prevalence of hypertension in boys. A longitudinal study in southwest England revealed that, during puberty, boys had a 10.19 mmHg higher SBP than girls, but follow-up observations (3 -5 years after puberty) showed that girls had a higher mean SBP than boys (O'Neill et al, 2022).…”

Assessment of the Performance of Obesity Measures in the Screening of Hypertension in a South African Adolescent Population

“…Various anthropometric indices have been used to screen obesity including measures of general obesity such as mid upper-arm circumference (MUAC), neck circumference (NC), and body mass index (BMI), as well as measures of central obesity such as hip circumference (HC), waist circumference (WC), and their ratios, waist–height ratio (WHtR) and waist–hip ratio (WHR) [ 13 ]. There is, however, no consensus on which anthropometric measures are better predictors of childhood hypertension, as certain studies claim measures of central obesity (WHR, WC and WHtR) [ 14 , 15 ] to be superior to general obesity (BMI) [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] while in other studies, it is not distinct [ 19 ]. Moreover, screening hypertension in adolescents and children is more complicated than in the adult population as childhood hypertension is dependent on height, gender, and age-specific references in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) [ 20 ].…”