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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
The Get-Up! study: adiposity and blood pressure in Australian toddlers
Eduarda Sousa-Sá1,2, Zhiguang Zhang1, João R Pereira1,3
1Early Start, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Wollongong.
Insights
Overweight toddlers did not show significant differences in blood pressure (BP) after accounting for other factors. Further research is needed to understand pediatric hypertension causes in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Cardiovascular Health
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Childhood overweight is linked to elevated blood pressure (BP) and future cardiovascular disease.
- Understanding early BP development and its association with weight status is crucial.
- This study investigated BP differences based on weight status in Australian toddlers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess differences in blood pressure (BP) between non-overweight and overweight toddlers.
- To explore the relationship between adiposity measures (BMI, waist circumference) and BP in early childhood.
Main Methods:
- The study included 265 Australian toddlers (mean age 19.6 months).
- Blood pressure (BP) was measured using a digital vital signs monitor.
- Participants were classified as non-overweight or overweight using WHO BMI criteria.
- Physical activity was monitored using accelerometers.
- Analysis of covariance adjusted for sex, age, physical activity, and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- Unadjusted analysis indicated higher systolic BP (z-scores) in overweight children compared to non-overweight peers (P=.042 for BMI, P=.023 for waist circumference).
- No significant differences in diastolic BP were observed between weight groups.
- After adjusting for confounders, no statistically significant associations were found between adiposity (BMI, waist circumference) and BP variables.
Conclusions:
- No significant associations between adiposity and blood pressure (BP) levels were identified in this toddler cohort after statistical adjustments.
- While unadjusted data suggested higher BP with increased adiposity, adjusted analyses did not support this link.
- Further investigation into environmental and genetic factors influencing pediatric hypertension, especially in toddlers, is warranted.
Background:
Because the elevated blood pressure (BP) in childhood is strongly associated with overweight and is a risk factor for later cardiovascular disease, a need to comprehend the early development of BP and its association with overweight is needed. We assessed differences of BP by weight status in Australian toddlers.
Methods:
From the Get-Up! Study in Australia, this sample included 265 toddlers (136 boys), aged 19.6 ± 4.2 months. BP was measured with a digital vital signs monitor. Participants were categorized as nonoverweight and overweight according to the World Health Organization definition for body mass index (BMI). Physical activity was captured with activPAL accelerometers, during childcare hours. To test differences in BP between nonoverweight and overweight children, we performed an analysis of covariance adjusting for sex, age, physical activity, and socioeconomic status.
Results:
Children with overweight showed higher z systolic BP values (P = .042 for BMI and P = .023 for waist circumference) when compared to nonoverweight children. However, no differences were found for z diastolic BP levels, between overweight and nonoverweight children. After adjustments for potential confounders (socioeconomic status, physical activity, sex, and age), there were no significant differences in BP variables between BMI and waist circumference groups.
Conclusions:
No associations between adiposity and BP levels were found in this sample. The unadjusted results, however, showed that children with higher levels of adiposity (BMI and waist circumference) exhibited higher levels of BP. Additional research is needed to determine which environmental and genetic factors might contribute to pediatric hypertension, particularly among toddlers.
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