Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Waist circumference and blood pressure in Brazilian children
Vanessa Heidemann Grawe1, Silmara Salete de Barros Silva Mastroeni1,2, Zaíne Glaci Duarte Corrêa2
1Postgraduate Program in Health and Environment, University of Joinville Region.
Aim:
We aimed to examine the association between waist circumference and blood pressure (BP) in children at 9 years of age.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study of 142 children enrolled in a cohort study conducted at the participants' homes in southern Brazil. SBP and DBP were measured using the auscultatory method. Waist circumference was measured with a 150-cm flexible tape. Logistic regression adjusted for important covariates was used to examine the association between waist circumference and BP.
Results:
The prevalence of high BP in children was 20.4%. High BP was more prevalent in males (69.0%). The average SBP/DBP on the right arm was 98/60 mmHg in females and 101/62 mmHg in males. An important proportion of children was classified as having high BP and BMI (44.8%) and waist circumference (50.0%) > 85th percentile (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that children with high BMI and waist circumference were 3.91 (95% confidence interval, 1.31-11.71, P = 0.015) times more likely to have high BP than those ≤85th percentile, even after adjusting for other covariates.
Conclusion:
This study revealed that waist circumference was associated with both SBP and DBP in 9-year-old children and increased waist circumference was the determining factor of cardiovascular risk.
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Prepare for the Procedure:
Special considerations while measuring blood pressure
Monitoring Both Arms:
Monitoring BP in both arms during the initial assessment is advisable, as the systolic value may differ by five to ten mm Hg between arms. For subsequent BP assessments, use the arm with the higher reading.
Assessment of blood pressure in brachial artery(two-step method)

