Key result
Adolescent overweight and obesity linked to ~4-fold higher odds of hypertension.
Why the study?
Hypertension is a rising health problem among adolescents in India, and early diagnosis with timely interventions is key to reducing future morbidity and mortality.
What is the prevalence and what are the factors associated with hypertension among adolescents in a rural community in North India?
Cross-Sectional (n=550)
No
What is the prevalence and what are the factors associated with hypertension among adolescents in a rural community in North India?
Odds Ratio: 3.93 (95% CI 2.14–7.2)
p-value: p=<0.001
Nearly one-fifth of adolescents in a rural North Indian community have hypertension, which is strongly associated with older age, male sex, and overweight/obesity.
May support adolescent hypertension screening in rural India; leaves open causal links and intervention effects pending prospective studies.
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hypertension exerts a substantial burden on the healthcare system in India. Recent literature suggests hypertension to be a rising health problem not only in adults but also in adolescents. The early diagnosis of hypertension in adolescents and timely interventions are key in reducing the burden of hypertension-related morbidity and mortality in later life. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among adolescents residing in a rural community in north India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a community-based cross-sectional study done in Ballabgarh, Haryana. A computer-generated random sample of 600 adolescents was drawn through a sampling frame of adolescents (10-19 years) listed in the Health Management Information System. House visits were made and a semi-structured interview schedule was used. Blood pressure was measured using a digital blood pressure (BP) apparatus (OMRON digital BP monitor, three readings) with age-appropriate cuffs, and hypertension was defined using the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017/Indian Academy of Pediatrics 2022 criteria. Age-adjusted BMI was calculated using AnthroPlus software (Geneva, Switzerland: WHO). The prevalence of hypertension was reported with a 95% confidence interval. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was done to determine the association of hypertension with the associated factors. RESULTS: In this study, 550 adolescents participated, of which 284 (51.6%) were males. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 18.9% (95% CI: 15.8-22.4%), stage 1 hypertension 17.3% (95% CI: 14.3-20.7%), and stage 2 hypertension 1.6% (95% CI: 0.8-3.1%). The participants aged 15-19 years (adjusted OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.51-3.80) compared to adolescents aged 10-14 years, and those who were overweight/obese (adjusted OR: 3.93, 95% CI: 2.14-7.20) compared to those with normal weight had significantly greater odds; whereas the female sex had lesser odds (adjusted OR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.32-0.81) of having hypertension compared to male adolescents. CONCLUSION: Approximately one-fifth of the participants in this study had hypertension, highlighting the need for interventions including lifestyle modification and active case finding targeting adolescents.
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Malhotra et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension (n=550). Overweight/obesity vs. Normal weight was evaluated on Hypertension (adjusted OR 3.93, 95% CI 2.14-7.20, p=<0.001). Overweight and obese adolescents had significantly greater odds of having hypertension compared to those with normal weight (adjusted OR 3.93), contributing to an overall hypertension prevalence of 18.9%.
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