The value of hip circumference/height^x ratio for identifying childhood hypertension

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiology
• Public Health
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Childhood hypertension is a growing concern with long-term health implications.
• Identifying effective screening tools for pediatric hypertension is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of hip circumference and related indexes in identifying hypertension among Han Chinese children.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of various hip circumference-to-height ratios.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1,352 Han children aged 7-12 years in 2011.
• Hypertension defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure ≥95th percentile across three screenings.
• Analysis of correlations between hip circumference, hip circumference/height ratios (x=0, 0.8, 1, 1.5), and blood pressure levels.

Main Results:

• All tested hip circumference related indexes, including hip circumference/height ratios, showed a significant positive correlation with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05).
• Area under the curve (AUC) analysis indicated that hip circumference/height ratios (x=0.8, 1, 1.5) did not offer superior predictive ability compared to simple hip circumference measurement.
• Hip circumference alone demonstrated a helpful association with identifying hypertension.

Conclusions:

• Simple hip circumference measurement is a valuable and accessible tool for detecting hypertension in 7-12-year-old Han children.
• Further research may explore the clinical application of hip circumference in pediatric hypertension screening programs.