Central Adiposity and Anthropometric Indices as Gender-Specific Predictors of Systolic Blood Pressure in Young Adults.

Background Hypertension is a rising concern among young adults, driven by sedentary lifestyles, academic stress, and poor dietary habits. Medical students, despite being a theoretically low-risk group, exhibit a notable prevalence of elevated blood pressure. Traditional measures such as body mass index (BMI) fail to capture fat distribution, a critical determinant of cardiovascular risk. This study investigates the association of anthropometric indices - BMI, waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) - with systolic blood pressure (SBP), emphasizing gender-specific patterns in a population of medical students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 medical students (175 males, 75 females) aged 17-25 years. Anthropometric measurements, including BMI, WC, and WHR, were recorded following standardized protocols. Blood pressure was measured using the auscultatory method, and elevated SBP (>120 mmHg) was defined per the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines. Chi-square (χ²) tests were used to assess associations between categorized anthropometric indices and SBP, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results Elevated SBP was observed in 24.0% of males (42 out of 175) and 25.3% of females (19 out of 75). Among males, significant associations were identified between elevated SBP and BMI (χ² = 13.097, p = 0.0003), WC (χ² = 10.075, p = 0.0015), and WHR (χ² = 8.701, p = 0.0032). In females, WC alone demonstrated a significant association with SBP (χ² = 6.329, p = 0.0119), while BMI (p = 0.1643) and WHR (p = 0.7844) did not. Comparative analysis highlighted BMI and WHR as stronger predictors of elevated SBP in males, whereas WC consistently emerged as the most significant predictor across both genders. Conclusion Central adiposity, as indicated by WC, is a pivotal predictor of SBP in young adults, reinforcing its clinical utility over BMI and WHR. Gender-specific trends highlight the pronounced role of BMI and WHR in males, while WC remains the sole significant predictor in females. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating WC measurements into routine screening protocols for early identification of at-risk individuals. Early, targeted interventions addressing central adiposity may play a crucial role in preventing the progression of hypertension and reducing cardiovascular morbidity in young adults.