The association of hypertension and anthropometric indices among a population of students: A cross-sectional study in an Iranian medical school

Objectives Hypertension is a major global health concern contributing to elevated mortality from heart attacks, strokes, and chronic kidney disease, with a growing prevalence attributed to sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, obesity, and an aging population. This trend is also noticeable in Iran, underscoring the necessity of raising awareness and changing university students’ lifestyles. The primary objective of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of hypertension among university students, with a secondary focus on the relationship between blood pressure levels and anthropometric parameters. Alongside conventional anthropometric measures, this study assessed body composition parameters derived from bioimpedance analysis—comprising extracellular water ratio, skeletal muscle mass, fat-free mass, and total body water—in a group of young Iranian university students. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 264 university students, including 130 males and 134 females, from Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Researchers measured blood pressure and anthropometric indicators and analyzed the collected data using SPSS software. Results 28% of participants had high blood pressure, and 15.9% had hypertension. Men were five times more likely than women to have hypertension, indicating a significantly higher prevalence of the condition. Meaningful positive correlations were reported between blood pressure and fat-free mass, skeletal muscle mass, and total body water. Based on Logistic regression analysis, BMI, skeletal muscle mass, total body water, fat-free mass, and male sex were significant predictors of HTN. Conclusion These results imply that young individuals’ blood pressure status is highly correlated with anthropometric and body composition parameters.