high-normal arterial blood pressure in children with excess body weight

Background: childhood overweight and obesity are common causes of metabolic disorders that persist until adulthood. objectives: the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of high-normal arterial blood pressure (abp) in children with excess body weight. material and methods: a total of 1,093 schoolchildren aged 10 - 12 years (51% girls and 49% boys) participated in the study. the children’s weight, height, body fat percentage (bfp), waist and hip circumference, and abp were measured. the waist-to-height ratio (whtr) and body mass index (bmi) were calculated and compared to the normative reference values accepted by the international obesity task force (iotf). results: excess weight was identified in 20% of the participants, and obesity in 5%. a total of 35.5% of overweight children had abovenormal abp, which implied hypertension. in obese children, that proportion equaled 59.3%. bfp was 6.5% greater in children with hypertension than in those with normal bp. the children with hypertension also had a 7.6-cm larger waist circumference, a 7.6-cm larger hip circumference, and a greater whtr (by 0.04). conclusions: excess body weight was identified in 25% of children aged 10 - 12 years, significantly increasing their risk of developing hypertension.