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Comparison of three weight-for-height indices in blood pressure studies in children
1Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL.
Insights
This study found that different measures of relative obesity, such as body mass index (BMI), yield similar results when examining blood pressure in children. The choice of obesity index does not significantly impact findings on blood pressure associations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Cardiovascular Health
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Assessing relative obesity in children is crucial for understanding health risks, including elevated blood pressure.
- Several weight-for-height indices exist, but consensus on the most appropriate measure for children is lacking.
- Understanding the relationship between obesity indices and blood pressure is vital for pediatric health monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the associations between blood pressure and three common indices of relative obesity in a diverse group of children.
- To compare the predictive power of different obesity indices on blood pressure across racial groups.
- To determine if the choice of obesity index affects the observed relationship with blood pressure in children.
Main Methods:
- A multiracial sample of 1,723 boys and 1,878 girls aged 5-10 years was surveyed between 1975-1978.
- Three indices of relative obesity were calculated: weight/height squared (BMI), weight/height cubed, and weight/height to the power of 'p'.
- Regression models were used to analyze the associations between these indices and blood pressure measurements, comparing across racial groups (white, black, Hispanic, Asian).
Main Results:
- The three weight-for-height indices produced nearly identical regression models when assessing associations with blood pressure.
- This consistency was observed across the diverse racial and ethnic groups included in the study.
- The findings suggest that different measures of relative obesity are interchangeable for analyzing blood pressure in this pediatric population.
Conclusions:
- The selection of a specific index for relative obesity (e.g., BMI) does not significantly alter the observed associations with blood pressure in children aged 5-10.
- This simplifies the assessment of obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors in pediatric research and clinical practice.
- Future research can proceed with confidence, as the choice of obesity index appears not to be a critical variable in this context.
Abstract:
Associations between blood pressures and three indices commonly used to assess relative obesity (weight (kg)/height (m)2, weight (kg)/height (m)3, and weight (kg)/height (m)p) were examined in a multiracial sample of children attending private schools in Chicago, Illinois. The 1,723 boys and 1,878 girls were 5-10 years old at the time of the survey (1975-1978). Inclusion of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children permitted comparison of the relation between anthropometric variables and blood pressures across racial groups. The three weight-for-height indices used as estimates of relative obesity yielded nearly identical regression models, suggesting that, in spite of ongoing debate about the most appropriate index for describing relative obesity in children, it makes little difference which index is used.