Prevalencia de pressão arterial elevada e associação com variáveis antropométricas, de composição corporal e de estilo de vida em adolescentes de uma cidade do nordeste brasileiro

Objective: To assess the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) in adolescents and its association with lifestyle, anthropometric profile, and body composition.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted with adolescents aged 12 to 19 years from public schools in Recife, between March and April 2013. HBP was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 120 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 80 mmHg. Sociodemographic, clinical, anthropometric, and body composition data were collected, and lifestyle was assessed by dietary intake and physical activity.Results: A total of 410 adolescents participated in the study, 60% of whom were female and 63.2% were ≥ 15 years old. The majority (60%) were from a low socioeconomic status. The prevalence of HBP was 48.8%, being higher in male adolescents (PR 1.59), aged ≥ 15 years (PR 1.7) and in pubertal stage (PR 1.03). Excess weight (BMI/A) affected 27.9% of adolescents, abdominal obesity (assessed by waist circumference) was observed in 16.6%, and excessive body fat in 45.0%. All these nutritional disorders were associated with HBP. In the adjusted analysis, factors such as male gender (adjusted PR: 1.61), abdominal obesity (adjusted PR: 1.41) and overweight (adjusted PR: 1.31) showed a significant association with HBP. For male adolescents, age, height and waist circumference explained almost 50% of the variation in SBP (adjusted R2 = 0.482; p<0.001). For girls, BMI/A explained 13% of the variation in SBP (adjusted R2 = 0.135; p<0.001). Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a high prevalence of HBP, strongly associated with excess weight and male gender. Therefore, prevention and control actions should be primarily directed at this group.