Social determinants of elevated blood pressure among 8–19 year olds in urban and rural Ibadan, southwest, Nigeria

Elevated blood pressure in children and adolescents is a growing public health concern that may signal the potential development of hypertension in adulthood. Social factors have been known to influence health and illnesses including blood pressure status. This study investigated sociodemographic factors associated with elevated blood pressure among young people in urban and rural Ibadan, Nigeria. In a cross-sectional study 544 children and adolescents (aged 8–19 years) were enrolled using multistage sampling across urban and rural communities. Data were collected through pretested questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate tests, and multivariable logistic regression (significance: p ≤ 0.05). Mean participant age was 11.83 ± 2.43 years. Mean systolic blood pressure was 102.37 ± 15.51 while mean diastolic blood pressure was 67.61 ± 12.08 mmHg. Overall elevated blood pressure prevalence among the participants was 38.4% and was higher among males (24.7%) than females (18.6%). Multivariable analysis found age as the only significant variable (p < 0.05) and was also significant based on area of residence. No significant differences emerged by sex (p = 0.260), area of residence (p = 0.379), or socioeconomic status (p = 0.325). Parental education was significant preventive factor of elevated blood pressure in rural settings (p-values < 0.05). Elevated blood pressure was prevalent among children and adolescents in the study population. However, there were no significant sociodemographic differentials observed. This suggests that elevated blood pressure cuts across sex, place of residence, and socioeconomic status in the study population. Routine blood pressure screening, health education, and population-wide preventive strategies targeting modifiable cardiovascular risk factors are recommended to reduce future cardiovascular disease burden.