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Association between body size and blood pressure in children from different ethnic origins

Marieke LA de Hoog1, Manon van Eijsden, Karien Stronks

  • 1Department of Public Health, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, P,O, Box 22660, 1100 DD, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. m.l.dehoog@amc.uva.nl

Cardiovascular Diabetology
|November 7, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Ethnic differences in body size and blood pressure exist in young children. Turkish children show the highest blood pressure increase with rising body mass index (BMI) and fat-mass-index (FMI).

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Anthropometry

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing concern with potential long-term health implications.
  • Blood pressure tracking from childhood to adulthood highlights the importance of early detection of hypertension risk factors.
  • Understanding ethnic variations in body composition and cardiovascular health is crucial for targeted public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between various body size indicators and blood pressure levels in a multi-ethnic cohort of young children.
  • To identify potential ethnic-specific differences in these associations.
  • To compare the predictive value of body-mass-index (BMI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and fat-mass-index (FMI) on blood pressure.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from five ethnic groups (Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan, Black-African, Black-Caribbean) within the ABCD cohort.
  • Collection of anthropometric data including BMI, WHtR, and FMI, alongside systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP).
  • Application of linear regression with restricted cubic splines to assess non-linear associations, adjusted for covariates like age, sex, height, and birth weight.

Main Results:

  • Significant ethnic variations were observed in the associations between BMI and blood pressure (SBP: p=0.001, DBP: p=0.01), and FMI and SBP (p=0.03).
  • Turkish children exhibited the strongest positive associations between BMI/FMI and SBP compared to Dutch children.
  • Black-Caribbean and Moroccan children presented with high blood pressure despite low BMI and FMI, while Moroccan children also showed higher SBP with high BMI/FMI. WHtR showed consistent positive associations with blood pressure across all ethnic groups.

Conclusions:

  • Ethnic-specific associations between body size (BMI, FMI) and blood pressure are evident in early childhood.
  • Turkish children demonstrate a pronounced increase in blood pressure with escalating body size.
  • Further research is warranted to understand the high blood pressure observed in Black-Caribbean and Moroccan children with low BMI; BMI remains a strong predictor of blood pressure across ethnic groups.
Abstract

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