SUSTAINED HYPERTENSION AND OBESITY IN HEALTHY SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN IN UDHNA, SURAT

In India, the prevalence of hypertension and obesity among children is a growing concern. India's rapid urbanization and economic growth have led to signicant lifestyle changes, especially among migrant populations. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of sustained hypertension and obesity among healthy school-going children in the Udhna area of Surat City, Gujarat, India, and to identify potential correlates of these conditions. Aim and Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of sustained hypertension and obesity in apparently healthy school-going children of the Udhna area. Methodology: The present study was conducted in the Physiology Department. Fifty (50) healthy school-going children aged 10-15 years were selected from two schools in the Udhna area of Surat city. The sample consisted of 25 students from a SMC school and 25 from a private school. All the students were made comfortable and I informed them about the experiment procedure and then started the collection of data. The collected data were segregated into various tables and various observations were recorded. The recorded data was entered in a pre-designed Performa and managed on an Excel spreadsheet & prevalence was calculated. Findings: Out of those 50 students, six students were found to be obese, mostly students from private schools were found obese, and ve students from SMC schools were found obese. If we compare data with socio-economic status then high socio-economic backgrounds students found more obesity (44.5%) than the low (5.0%) & middle (4.76%) class students. In the case of hypertension, out of those 50 students, two students from private schools were found to have sustained hypertension, and ve students including one SMC school student, had prehypertensive signs, which is not mentioned in the chart. If we compare with socioeconomic status the high class (11.1%) and middle class (4.76%) students were found with hypertensive signs. Conclusions: The prevalence of sustained hypertension is on the rise in the students of the Udhna area even in younger age groups. Blood pressure is frequently elevated in obese children as compared to lean subjects. This is possibly related to their altered eating habits, the increased fat content of their diet, and decreased physical activities.