HYPERTENSION IN PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM VITORIA/ES: INFLUENCE OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY

Introduction: Researches show that obesity can start in childhood. Furthermore, the excess of body weight, present at 50% in childhood, is a predictor of obesity in adulthood. Consequences are alarming due to the association with several comorbidities, among them, hypertension. Studies show that obese children are at higher risk for hypertension compared to non-obese population. Objective: To identify the prevalence of hypertension and its relation to overweight and obesity in children and adolescents from public schools of the municipality of Vitoria, ES, Brazil. We studied 477 students, aged between 7 and 17 years, 42.56% male and 57.44% female, who were randomly selected by stratified cluster sample. Methods: In the analysis of anthropometric profile the following were used: percentage of body fat by measuring skinfold thickness and body mass index (BMI). Moreover, measurement of blood pressure was performed to classify the arterial hypertension. Results: The results show in overweight students of Vitoria, ES, high blood pressure values (pre-hypertension and stages 1 and 2 hypertension), representing 21.1% in males (SBP: 112 +/- 10.4 mmHg and DBP: 65.6. +/- 8.91 mmHg) and 19.2% in females (SBP: 108 +/- 12.1 mmHg and DBP: 65.6 +/- 8.90 mmHg), respectively. However, in obese students, the prevalence was higher, comprising 26.3% in males (SBP: 113 +/- 11.3 mmHg and DBP: 67.8 +/- 10.1 mmHg) and 25% in females (SBP: 108 +/- 14.4 mmHg and DBP: 68.3 +/- 10.2 mmHg). Conclusion: The findings reported in this study show high rates of children and adolescents affected by both overweight and hypertension. These results suggest the implementation of preventive measures and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents from the municipality of Vitoria, ES.