Publication:

Prevalence of hypertension in urban school children aged 5 to 10 years in North India

Background Blood pressure in children is a known predictor cardiovascular health and outcome in adulthood. Prevalence of hypertension in Indian adults is rising over the years. It is anticipated that the blood pressure in Indian children might have also increased over the years. This study was undertaken to document the prevalence of hypertension among urban school children aged 5-10 years in North India.

Methods This cross-sectional study was undertaken in 28 private schools in urban Faridabad, Haryana. A total of 5636 children aged 5 to 10 years from both sexes undergone blood pressure, height and weight measurement. Prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension was estimated using the available reference cutoff for Indian children. The prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension was compared for different BMI categories and gender.

Results Overall the prevalence of hypertension was 19.7%, while 13.4% children were in pre-hypertensive range. The prevalence of hypertension increased with BMI and age in both sexes. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in girl than boys. Hypertension was documented in 14.6% of the underweight and 20.6% of normal-weight children.

Conclusion A high proportion of children were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive. The prevalence of hypertension in under-weight and normal-weight children indicate need for systematic documentation.