Abstract

FERRER ARROCHA, Marlene et al. Obesity and high blood pressure: early atherosclerosis signs. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2010, vol.82, n.4, pp. 20-30. ISSN 1561-3119.

INTRODUCTION. The obesity and the high blood pressure are two important risk factor very related to atherosclerosis. Its detection from early ages allows to prevent or to modify favourably the development of this disease in adulthood. The aim of present paper was to identify the presence of obesity and high blood pressure in pupils from three primary schools. METHODS. A observational, analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in three primary schools from the Plaza de la Revolución municipality in Ciudad de La Habana including 986 children aged from 5 to 12. Descriptive statistics were used (means and standard deviation), Student t test and Chi² test taking into account as significant a value of p<0,05. RESULTS. From the 482 males pupils 79 were obeses (16,3%) and 58 (12%) had a excess weight; from the total of girls pupils, 86 (17,6%) were obeses and 63 (12,9%) had excess weight. Regarding the study pupils, these figures represent a 17% of obesity and a 12,5% of excess weight. Analyzing the arterial pressure it was possible to note that from the 58 hypertensive pupils there were 23 males (40%) and 35 girls (60%). Among the 66 pre-hypertensives 31 were males (47%) and 35 (53%) were girls. The total of hypertensives ones represented a 6% of all the pupils and the pre-hypertensives ones constituted the 6,8%. There was also a greater frequency in girls. Means of systolic and diastolic arterial tension were present in malnourished children, those with excess weight and the obeses ones in relation to those thins and those with a normal weight. CONCLUSIONS. Relating the nutritional assessment to classification of arterial pressure it was noted that the nutritional status of to be malnourished, to have excess weight and to be obese influenced significantly in the rise of the arterial tension (p ≤ 0,001).

Keywords : Early sign of atherosclerosis; obesity; high blood pressure.

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