The Prevalence of Hypertension among 7-12 Year Old Schoolchildren in Kerman, Iran: a population-based study

Abstract

<strong>Background:</strong>The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of chronic hypertension and prehypertension conditions among children.<br /> <strong>Methods:</strong>In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1017 students in Kerman schools were examined during a period from 2013 to 2014. The weight, height, body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure and family history of high blood pressure were obtained. Pediatric Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic or diastolic reading (or both) ≥ 95th percentile and prehypertension was defined as the blood pressure reading between the 90th and 95th percentiles of the predicted values based on gender, age and height.<br /> <strong>Results:</strong>According to the results, the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension in schoolchildren was 1.9% and 3%, respectively. According to BMI, 13.7% of children were overweight and 14.3% were obese. There was a positive association between BMI and the development of hypertension.<br /> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Our findings demonstrated that approximately 3% of schoolchildren were afflicted with hypertension. Hypertension showed a positive association with overweight and obesity.