The prevalence of hypertension and the relationship with body composition in Grade 1 learners in the North West Province of South Africa

Objective. To determine the prevalence of hypertension in Grade 1 learners in the North West Province and to investigate the association between blood pressure (BP) and body composition of these children. Methods. Data were collected from 816 Grade 1 learners (419 boys, 397 girls) with a mean age of 6.78 years (+ 0.49), participating in the CHILD-study. Height, weight, skinfolds (subscapular, tricpes, calf) and waist circumference were measured. Internationally recommended cut-off points for body mass index (BMI) were used. Hypertension, defined as the average of two separate BP readings where the systolic BP and diastolic BP is > 95th percentile for age, sex and height, was determined. Results. The prevalence of hypertension was 24.9% in the group and 24.8% in boys and 24.9% in girls. Both systolic and diastolic BP was strongly associated with BMI, body fat percentage and waist circumference. Mean systolic and diastolic BP increased significantly with an increase in BMI. Girls had a higher diastolic BP than boys. The diastolic BP of black children was significantly higher than that of the white children in the different BMI groups, while the systolic BP of the black children was only significant higher than that of the white children in the obese group. Conclusions. A high prevalence of hypertension was found with a strong association between BP and body composition. BP screening is important in the pediatric population and interventions are needed to reduce the rate of cardiovascular complications and obesity among children