Differences in Healthy Lifestyles Between Prehypertensive and Normotensive Children and Adolescents in Northern China

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and differences of healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents differing in blood pressure status. A cross-sectional study analyzed 5,270 children and adolescents ages 5-18 years. Anthropometric measurements and information on six healthy lifestyles (normal body mass index [BMI], appropriate physical activity, sufficient sleep, appropriate breakfast, no smoking, and no alcohol use) were collected by well-trained personnel. The prevalence of healthy lifestyles was relatively low. Only 22.4% of the study participants had all six healthy lifestyle characteristics. The participants with prehypertension were less likely to have a normal BMI (odds ratio [OR] 0.362; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.292-0.449) or to be nonsmokers (OR 0.793; 95% CI 0.64-0.982) than those with normal blood pressure. Overall, the prehypertensive participants had a lower likelihood of having four to six (especially all 6) of the healthy lifestyles (OR 0.688; 95% CI 0.561-0.844) than their normotensive counterparts. In addition, some socioeconomic factors, such as family income, had an impact on healthy life habits. Among children and adolescents, poor prehypertensive status was associated with a low likelihood of healthy lifestyles. Evaluation of multiple healthy lifestyles as a whole should receive more attention for better prevention and control of high blood pressure.