Relationship of anthropometric measurements and blood pressure in primary and secondary students in Ningbo

Objective To know the epidemic status of hypertension among primary and secondary students,and to investigate the relationships between anthropometric measurements and blood pressure.Methods A total 3 087 residential students from two districts in Ningbo were surveyed by using of random cluster sampling.Blood pressure,weight,height,hip circumference and other anthropometric measurements were measured.The relations between blood pressure and different anthropometric variables were investigated in linear regression models.Results The prevalence of hypertension was 2.49%,there was no significant difference between girls(1.99%) and boys(3.01%).The prevalence of hypertension in urban and in rural areas was 2.45% and 2.54% respectively,which there was no difference as well.Further analysis showed that body mass index(BMI),waist circumference(WC),hip circumference(Hip) and waist / height ratio(WHtR) had significant positive correlation with the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.Hip,BMI,age,and waist/height ratio(WHtR) index had greater impact on blood pressure in boys while waist indicators and age had a greater impact on blood pressure in girls.Conclusion Anthropometric measurements are closely related with blood pressure,which imply that they may be used to predict or screen for hypertension among primary and secondary students.