Epidemiology of elevated blood pressure and associated risk factors in Chinese children: the SNEC study

Despite the association of childhood blood pressure (BP) with hypertension later in the life course, there remains dearth of information regarding the prevalence and emergence of hypertension in children, especially in China. To investigate the current status of BP, prevalence of elevated BP and related factors in Chinese children, a cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of 9354 Chinese children 5-17 years old was conducted in seven cities in Northeastern China during 2011 and 2012. BP measurements were taken by mercury sphygmomanometer. Elevated BP in children was defined as an average diastolic BP or systolic BP that is in the 95th percentile or higher for their gender, age and height. Overall, total prevalence of elevated BP was 13.8%, and no significant difference between males and females was identified. Multivariate analyses revealed that children having a higher area of residence had a lower of elevated BP. Increased odds for elevated BP were found for individuals who were lean (odds ratio (OR) = 2.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.67-2.69), overweight (OR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.74-2.42), obese (OR = 3.15; 95% CI: 2.70-3.68), were born with low birth weight (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.01-1.63), premature birth (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13-1.88), and were with home coal use (OR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02-1.52). In conclusion, elevated BP was found to be prevalent in children in urban areas of Northeast China. These results underscore the importance of implementing a package of measures aimed at reducing malleable risk for this cardiovascular condition in school-aged children in Northeast China.