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Licensed Unlicensed Requires Authentication Published by De Gruyter July 28, 2015

Hypertension and its association with anthropometric indexes among pre-university students

  • Whye Lian Cheah EMAIL logo , Helmy Hazmi , Hui Qi Chia , Empiang Tindin , Nur Adilah Ahmad Zafri and Syarul Haziq Mohd Shah

Abstract

Hypertension has become increasingly common among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of hypertension and its association with anthropometric indexes among pre-university students. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among pre-university students of a public university. Anthropometric measurements were conducted using mobile stadiometers, digital body fat scales and measuring tapes. Body fat percentage was measured with a body composition analyzer, and blood pressure was determined using digital blood pressure monitors. Statistical analyses were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics 20. A total of 218 respondents participated in the study. The prevalence of hypertension at risk was 7.3%, which was higher among males (16.7%). About 22% of the respondents were overweight and obese. The majority of males had a normal waist circumference (WC) (75.9%), but almost half of females had a WC value in the unhealthy category (47.0%). Females had higher conicity indexes and body fat compared to males. Respondents who were found to have hypertension at risk had a higher prevalence of being overweight and having unhealthy WC and waist-to-height ratio and had high conicity indexes and a high percentage of fat. Risk factors independently associated with hypertension at risk included male gender (odds ratio=4.213, 95% CI, 1.238–14.342) and body mass index (odds ratio=7.865, 95% CI, 1.165–53.099). Regular screening of hypertension at risk among adolescents and initiation of early treatment for those affected should be conducted to avoid further complication in later life.

  1. Conflict of interest statement: None.

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Received: 2015-3-13
Accepted: 2015-5-11
Published Online: 2015-7-28
Published in Print: 2016-11-1

©2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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