Abstract
Introductionin the past, the need for regular blood pressure screening in children was doubtful, and the main reason against it is that hypertension is an adult illness and there is no evidence that screening healthy children for hypertension was worthwhile. We did this study to determine the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension as well as some risk factors for hypertension among secondary school adolescents in an urban area of the South-East, Nigeria.Methodsthis was a cross-sectional study of 984 adolescents aged 10-19 years in secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra state, South-East, Nigeria. The multi-stage sampling method was used to select the subjects. Data were collected from all eligible subjects with the aid of a questionnaire administered to them. Weight, height, and blood pressure were measured and recorded.Resultsnine hundred and eighty-four adolescents were recruited for this study, and they comprised 470 (47.8%) males and 514 (52.2%) giving a male: female ratio of 1:1.1. Their ages ranged from 10-19 years. The mean systolic blood pressure and mean diastolic BP were 110.5±10.2mmHg 71.5±8.5mmHg respectively. Prevalence of hypertension and pre-hypertension were 6.3% and 5.0% respectively. There were a higher proportion of females (7.3%) than males (5.4%) with hypertension, and more females (5.8%) than males (4.2%) with prehypertension but these were not statistically significant. Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with hypertension.Conclusionhypertension exists among secondary school adolescents in Awka South Local government area of Anambra state, with a prevalence of 6.3%. Early detection and treatment will forestall the early development of complications.
Highlights
The value of blood pressure measurement as a screening tool for hypertension in adults has long been documented
Hypertension is defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure that is above the 95th percentile for age, sex and height, while prehypertension is between 90th and 95th percentile [3]
This study sought to determine the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension among adolescents attending secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria
Summary
The value of blood pressure measurement as a screening tool for hypertension in adults has long been documented. Hypertension is often undetected because they are generally healthy and seldom visit a physician unless there is an obvious illness For this reason, routine measurement of blood pressure among children and adolescents is recommended [3]. This study sought to determine the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension among adolescents attending secondary schools in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. It determined the relationship between some risk factors among these adolescents
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