Factors influencing blood pressure in children and adolescents

The relationship between blood pressure, height-weight-obesity, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and total cholesterol was investigated in a population of 871 children and adolescents. The structure of the data was also analysed and a comprehensive control of the model was undertaken. A mean blood pressure (MBP) with minimum variance was used as an integrated measure for the blood pressure. A new children's body mass index CBMI = log weight -0.008 X height was used to measure the obesity of the children. This index was proved to be independent of the children's height. The best single descriptive factor for MBP in boys is HDL/total cholesterol (HDLI). In girls, the CBMI is the most descriptive. Weight contributes significantly to the description of MBP in both sexes. In girls, the HDLI also improves the description of MBP. In boys, age is of no significance when weight is included in the analysis. Heart rate (HR) depends significantly on weight in both sexes. In girls, HR furthermore is correlated to cholesterol. None of the parameters; circumference of arm, consumption of tobacco or licorice, serum triglyceride, and diabetes in family were found to contribute significantly to the description of MBP or HR when CBMI, weight, HDLI and total cholesterol are included in the analysis.