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Blood pressure in Jamaican children: relationship to body size and composition

R J Wilks1, N McFarlane-Anderson, F I Bennett

  • 1Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

The West Indian Medical Journal
|September 24, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Blood pressure in Jamaican children increases with age, potentially faster in boys. Body composition measures like lean body mass and fatness significantly influence blood pressure variations in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Human Physiology

Background:

  • Blood pressure is linked to body size and composition in children and adults.
  • These relationships are not fully understood, especially within the Jamaican population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between blood pressure and body composition in Jamaican school children.
  • To identify key predictors of blood pressure variation in this demographic.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional survey of 2,332 school children (ages 6-16).
  • Measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, weight, height, and circumferences (waist, hip, mid-upper arm).
  • Utilized univariate and multivariate analyses to assess body composition effects on blood pressure.

Main Results:

  • Blood pressure increased with age in both sexes; systolic increase continued longer in boys.
  • Height and weight were primary blood pressure predictors, correlating with all body composition measures.
  • Body mass index and hip circumference incrementally explained additional systolic blood pressure variance (2.6%).
  • Lean body mass had a greater impact on blood pressure than percent fatness.

Conclusions:

  • Blood pressure rises with age in Jamaican children, with a potentially steeper increase in boys.
  • Blood pressure variation is significantly associated with various body composition metrics, including fatness and fat-free mass.

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