[Association between the blood pressure status and nutritional status among Chinese students aged 7-18 years in 2014: based on the national blood pressure reference for Chinese children and adolescents].

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the epidemic situation of blood pressure (BP) status and its association with nutritional status among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years old in 2014, and to provide important scientific basis for the control of students' hypertension.

METHODS

All the subjects aged 7 to 18 years in both genders were sampled from 2014 Chinese national surveys on students' constitution and health. BP status was evaluated according to Chinese national gender-, age- and height-specific references, including hypertension (HTN), elevated hypertension (elevated HTN), isolated systolic HTN (SHTN), isolated diastolic HTN (DHTN) and mix HTN. Their nutritional status was evaluated using the international obesity task force (IOTF) definition, including thinness (severe thinness and moderate thinness), normal, overweight and obesity (severe obesity and moderate obesity). The Logistics method was used to analyze the association between BP status and nutritional status. The population attributable risk (PAR%) of overweight and obesity for BP status was calculated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of HTN and elevated HTN among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years in 2014 was 14.9% and 9.2%, respectively. And the prevalence of isolated SHTN, isolated DHTN and mix HTN was 3.1%, 8.8% and 3.0%, respectively. The prevalence estimates for HTN differed the greatest for the boys, those in rural, those with high age, those in the East, and those with high BMI. The highest prevalence of HTN was detected in those with severe obesity with 44.2% and 38.8% in the boys and girls respectively, which was 2.8-fold and 3.7-fold than those with normal groups. The negative association was detected between HTN and thinness, but the positive association with overweight and obesity. The PAR% of HTN due to overweight and obesity was 16.2%, and the expected prevalence of HTN was 12.5% if controlling for overweight and obesity. Higher PAR% of isolated SHTN and mix HTN due to overweight and obesity was detected in the Chinese children and adolescents with proportions of 28.7% and 35.1%.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of HTN among the Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years was still high, whose components mainly focused on isolated DHTN. Overweight and obesity can increase the risk of HTN in children and adolescents significantly, especially for isolated SHTN and mix HTN. Controlling for overweight and obesity can decrease the risk of HTN among Chinese national children and adolescents largely, which can play an important role in preventing the occurrence of chronic disease in adults.