A study of hypertension and obesity in school-going children age 10-16 years

Abstract

Background: The rising prevalence of hypertension and obesity among the current generation of children has become a significant public health concern. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need to study the occurrence of these conditions in school-going children aged 10 to 16 years. Accurate estimates of the prevalence of pediatric hypertension and obesity, particularly in the post-COVID era, are essential for designing effective prevention and treatment strategies. The study aims to determine the occurrence of hypertension and obesity in school going children and the risk factors associated with it. Methods: In this cross-sectional study included 402 school going children of Kalaburagi city of age group 10 -16 years. After selecting the school, informed consent from school Principal and Parents of children was obtained. A predesigned, pre tested questionnaire proforma was administered to each child to collect data (intake of fatty food, dietary pattern, duration of screen time, duration of sleep, hours of physical activity). Parameters of height, weight and blood pressure were measured and recorded. Ethical approval was obtained. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 2.5% and pre-hypertension was 2.5%. Prevalence of obesity was 1.7%, over weight was 5.2%.  Significant association was found between obesity and mixed type of diet (p value=0.016). It was found that obesity was significantly associated with increased risk of hypertension (p value= 0.000).  Significant association was found between hypertension and increased screen time (p value=0.001). It was observed that there is a statistically significant association between female gender and overweight (p=0.027). Conclusions: The prevalence of hypertension in obese children was high. Hypertension was positively associated with increased screen time. Prevalence and early detection of childhood obesity and high BP should be strengthened to prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.