Prevalence of Hypertension and Pre-hypertension in 13-17 Year Old Adolescents Living in Mthatha - South Africa: a Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

SUMMARYBackground: Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), yet not much effort is being invested in early diagnosis and control of the condition in susceptible children. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension in peri-urban school-attending adolescents and explore the relationship between blood pressure and selected anthropometric measurements.Methods: A cross-sectional study of adolescents aged 13-17 years was performed. Data on height, weight, waist and hip circumferences as well as blood pressure were collected from all participants. Body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure percentiles were calculated.Results: The overall prevalence of obesity was 20.4% while the prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension was 21.2% and 12.3%, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension in males was 22.0% and 13.6% compared to 20.9% and 16.5% in females, respectively. Both conditions were associated with higher BMI in both girls and boys. While mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was positively associated with higher BMI and waist circumference (WC) in males and females, it correlated negatively with hip circumference (HC) in males. On the other hand, mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) correlated better with HC in males but only weakly in females.Conclusion: Adolescent learners in Mthatha had a high prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension which were associated with overweight and obesity. Results highlight the urgent need for screening in view of early detection and implementation of intervention strategies to prevent a high incidence of CVDs in this country.

Prevalence of high blood pressure and associated factors among adolescents and young people in Tanzania and Uganda

“…Factors such as high salt consumption have earlier been reported to exaggerate BP increase with age and could be an important factor in a salt‐sensitive population. Interestingly, our findings differ from surveys from West and Southern Africa where the increase in BP with age was more pronounced among females . Higher proportion of overweight and obese females in those studies can partly explain the difference.…”

“…Sadly, the global burden of obesity among adolescents has tripled over the past three decades, from 5.0% to 18.8% . Additionally, our observation is of particular importance in sub‐Saharan Africa, where obesity is traditionally perceived as a sign of beauty and health .…”

“…In females, obesity is known to overcome the protective effects of estrogen and can reverse the downward trend of BP . Additionally, our observation is of particular importance in sub‐Saharan Africa, where obesity is traditionally perceived as a sign of beauty and health . Hence, BP interventions among adolescents and young people must address the problem of obesity.…”

“…The overall prevalence of pre-hypertension was 29% (95% CI: [26][27][28][29][30][31]) and that of hypertension was 11% (95% CI: 10-13). The prevalence of pre-hypertension among adolescents (12-19 years old) was 24% (95% CI: [22][23][24][25][26][27] and that of young adults (20-24 years old) was 38% (95% CI:…”

Blood Pressure in Schoolchildren and Adolescents and its Variation according to Nutritional Status Evaluation: An Early Preventive Key for Obesity Comorbidities

“…The first is related to the data that forecast that overweight children are at increased risk of becoming obese adults which may lead to shorter life expectancies in the current generation of children compared to their parents [4]. The second comes after well-designed studies in different parts [5,6] in which overweight adolescents have risks of 2.7 or greater for suffering from Elevated Blood Pressure (EBP). Once at this point it is worth adding how this problem will become greater [7] as the increasing prevalence of obesity is not being curved in the next decade.…”