Pressão arterial elevada e obesidade abdominal em adolescentes

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the association between abdominal obesity and high blood pressure among adolescents of public schools from Londrina (PR), Brazil. Methods: The sample was composed by 656 adolescents with age ranging from ten to 13 years old. The following measures were taken: body mass, height, waist circumference and blood pressure at rest. Mann-Whitney and Student's t-test were used to compare and analyze numerical variables. The chi-square test analyzed the association between blood pressure and waist circumference. Results: Association between abdominal obesity and high blood pressure was present in both genders (PR 2.7; 95%CI 1.8-4.2). Abdominal obesity was associated with higher blood pressure independently of age. Conclusions: Abdominal obesity was associated to high blood pressure in adolescents.