1515Screened blood pressure and its associated factors among adolescents

Abstract

Abstract Background Hypertension (HTN) could have its origin in childhood and remain undetected unless a special screening is done during this period. We conducted this study to determine the screened HTN prevalence in adolescents and its associated factors, in order to increase the awareness on this subject and lead the state to make preventive strategies. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried among secondary school students in Sousse, Tunisia, during 2017-2018 school year. Blood pressure and anthropometric indices were measured. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information about socio demographic characteristics, lifestyle, addictive behavior and mental health status. Results A total of 1399 adolescents participated in the study. The prevalence of screened HTN was 15.6% (95% CI[13.8% -17.5%]). It was significantly higher in boys (23.1%) than in girls (10.7%; p ≤ 10-3). After binary logistic regression, positively associated factors to screened HTN in total population were: obesity (aOR=3.69; p ≤ 10-3), and overweight (aOR=1.7; p ≤ 10-3). Female gender (aOR=0.4; p ≤ 10-3), School failure (aOR=0.64; p = 0.014) and depression (aOR=0.67;p=0.017) were negatively associated to screened HTN. Conclusions Our study showed an alarming prevalence of high blood pressure among secondary school adolescents in our Low Middle Income Country and that it was mainly associated with weight excess. This emphasizes the emergent need of a comprehensive strategy for the prevention and control of hypertension and NCD risk factors among youth. Key messages Hypertension is an alarming emerging problem among youth in LMIC The emergent need of an effective strategy to prevent NCD risk factors in LMIC Keywords Hypertension Prevalence - Adolescent lifestyle- behavior, addictive - mental health