Correlates of cardiovascular Risk Factors with Blood Pressure in College Adolescents in Texas

Abstract

The incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is beginning to appear in children. Identifying CV risk factors at an early stage of life can provide direction for managing CVDs. This study tested the hypothesis that an association exists between CV risk factors and blood pressure (BP) in young adults. 91 young (18 – 36 years) adults (36 males, 55 females) from ethnically diverse backgrounds at Texas Southern University were evaluated for CV risk factors: race, gender, family history, residence (urban/rural), BMI, waist circumference (WC) and correlated with BP (sitting and standing) and pulse rate (PR). Results indicate that BMI correlated positively with WC and BP across all ethnic groups. The correlation was greater in males (p<0.05) and in Asians compared with other races (p<0.05). BP was higher (p<0.05) in Blacks than Asians and Whites but not different between Blacks and Hispanics. Urban dwellers have higher (p<0.05) BP compared with suburban and/or rural settlers. Family history of hypertension revealed no significant effect on BP and PR across all the races, gender, and age groups. Similarly, there was no significant difference in CV parameters across the different age groups in this study. We conclude from these data that BMI and WC are the most predictive CV parameters for BP in young adults and this is gender‐dependent. Contrary to popular belief, these CV risk factors are most predictive in Asians not Blacks.