Obesity and hypertension in young adult girls

Objective: The prevalence of obesity and hypertension is increasing in Indian adolescents and young adults. This increase is attributed to factors like changed dietary habits (consumption of processed food) and a sedentary lifestyle. Hypertension which develops in childhood/ adolescence persists in adulthood. This study was conducted to determine obesity and hypertension in girls between 18-20 years of age. Method: The study included 120 girls from different colleges in Mumbai. Anthropometric measurements-height and weight were measured, BMI was calculated. Blood pressure was measured using a digital sphygmomanometer. Results: Seventy-nine girls had normal blood pressure whereas 41 girls were hypertensive. In the hypertensive group 11 girls had elevated BP, 18 girls had stage I hypertension and 12 girls had stage II hypertension. There was a significant correlation between BMI and hypertension. Among the participants, 6.7% girls were underweight and 23.3% girls were overweight 4.5% girls were obese. The highest percentage of underweight girls was observed in stage II hypertension (41.7%). Sedentary activity was reported by 92% subjects.Conclusion: The present study suggests that maintaining healthy weight with a balanced diet and physical activity are important to reduce the risk obesity and hypertension in young girls.