Association of blood pressure with dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements in Turkish adolescents.

Abstract

Determining high blood pressure in childhood is an important step to reduce the risk of occurrence of high blood pressure-related diseases in adulthood. This study aimed to assess the association of blood pressure with dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements in Turkish adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 370 students (202 females, 168 males) aged 14 to 18 years from one private and one public school in Kayseri, Turkey. Some anthropometric measurements and 24-hour dietary recall of the students were obtained. Their blood pressures were measured, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) were used. The body mass index (BMI) mean and waist/height ratio of the hypertensive group were significantly higher than those of the prehypertensive group, whereas their daily potassium, calcium, and magnesium intakes were significantly lower than those of the normotensive group. The percentage of individuals with very low diet quality was higher in the hypertensive group than in the normotensive group (P > 0.05). The percentage of participants with sufficient physical activity was higher in the normotensive group than in the prehypertensive and hypertensive groups. Factors such as high BMI and waist/height rates; low calcium, magnesium, and potassium intakes with diet; insufficient physical activity; and low quality of diet might cause an increase in the blood pressure.