Abstract
Background: Childhood blood pressure is a marker for cardiovascular disease risk later in life. Few studies examined the association between physical activity (PA) and hypertension in Chinese children, and this study aimed to explore this relationship.Methods: A cross-sectional study among pupils was conducted in Chongqing in 2014. In total, 15,203 children aged 6–12 years in Chongqing were included in this study. The duration of self-reported PA on school days and the weekend in pupils were collected with a standardized questionnaire.Results: The results showed that, on school days, only 22.3% of boys and 17.8% of girls engaged in more than 60 min of PA per day; while on the weekend, only 38.5% of boys and 32.0% of girls engaged in at least 60 min of PA per day. There was no strong evidence for an association between PA and systolic or diastolic hypertension in boys. However, in girls, a weak negative association between PA on weekdays and hypertension was observed, and there was a significant interactive effect of PA and obesity on hypertension risk (P for interaction = 0.042). In obese children, PA was positively related to the risk of hypertension.Conclusion: The overall level of PA among pupils in Chongqing was insufficient, and a weak negative relationship between PA and hypertension was found in girls.
Highlights
Hypertension is one of the most common causes of cardiovascular disease and mortality worldwide [1]
Previous evidence suggests that elevated blood pressure (BP) in children is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease in later life [3,4,5,6,7]
Because the cutoffs for pediatric hypertension are based on standard deviations from normative BP data and expert opinion, hypertension and prehypertension may be underdiagnosed in the pediatric population [11]
Summary
Hypertension is one of the most common causes of cardiovascular disease and mortality worldwide [1]. The prevalence of hypertension is increasing globally because of the aging of the population and growing unhealthy lifestyles such as a lack of physical activity (PA) [2]. Previous evidence suggests that elevated blood pressure (BP) in children is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease in later life [3,4,5,6,7]. Physical Activity and Hypertension in Children in the ≥95th percentile, the prevalence of pediatric hypertension is estimated to range from 1 to 3% [8]. Because the cutoffs for pediatric hypertension are based on standard deviations from normative BP data and expert opinion, hypertension and prehypertension may be underdiagnosed in the pediatric population [11]. Childhood blood pressure is a marker for cardiovascular disease risk later in life. Few studies examined the association between physical activity (PA) and hypertension in Chinese children, and this study aimed to explore this relationship
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