Key result
Higher BMI correlates moderately with higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure in young adults.
Why the study?
Obesity and hypertension are emerging public health concerns among young adults, and the correlation between BMI and blood pressure in first-year medical students was not well characterized.
Cross-Sectional (n=300)
No
Effect estimate: rho = 0.674 for SBP, rho = 0.681 for DBP
p-value: p=<0.001
Higher body mass index correlates significantly with elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure among healthy first-year medical students, highlighting the need for early lifestyle interventions to reduce future cardiovascular risk.
Supports BMI-BP link in young adults; leaves open causality and intervention effects in medical students.
Obesity and hypertension are emerging public health concerns among young adults. Body mass index (BMI) is an important indicator of obesity and is associated with elevated blood pressure. Medical students are exposed to lifestyle risk factors such as academic stress, irregular dietary habits, physical inactivity and altered sleep patterns, which may influence both BMI and blood pressure. The study was conducted to find the correlation between BMI and blood pressure among first-year undergraduate medical students. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in MBBS and Allied Healthcare programs at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar. Height, weight and blood pressure was recorded using standard methods and BMI was calculated. The mean BMI was 23.46 ± 4.55 kg/m2. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 118.19 ± 9.47 mmHg and 75.99 ± 9.60 mmHg, respectively. Most participants had normal blood pressure (64.7%) while 32.7% were pre-hypertensive, and 2.7% (8 participants) had stage 1 hypertension (although participants with previously diagnosed hypertension were excluded at enrolment). Higher BMI was associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was observed between BMI and SBP (rho = 0.674, p<0.001) and between BMI and DBP (rho = 0.681, p<0.001). The present study demonstrated a significant moderate positive correlation between BMI and blood pressure among first-year medical students. Early lifestyle modifications and regular health screening may help to reduce the future cardiovascular risk.
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Rashid et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy individuals (n=300). Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated on Correlation between BMI and systolic/diastolic blood pressure (rho = 0.674 for SBP, rho = 0.681 for DBP, p=<0.001). Higher body mass index showed a significant moderate positive correlation with systolic (rho = 0.674) and diastolic (rho = 0.681) blood pressure among first-year medical students.
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