Abstract
BackgroundStudies investigating the prevalence of hypertension and its correlation with anthropometric indices among adolescents are still scarce compared to those conducted in adults of greater than 40 years. So far, no other study estimating the prevalence and correlates of hypertension among adolescents in Uganda has been found.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study, therefore, was to asses the prevalence of hypertension and its correlation with anthropometric indices among adolescents in Mbarara Municipality, southwestern Uganda.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 616 secondary school adolescents aged 12–19 years in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda. Blood pressure and anthropometric indices were determined by standard methods. In the statistical analysis, linear regression analysis was done to assess the relationship between blood pressure and anthropometric indices.ResultsOverall prevalence of hypertension among adolescents was at 3.1% (n = 19) while prehypertension was 7.1% (n = 44). There was a statistically significant correlation between blood pressure, neck circumference, waist to hip ratio and body mass index at bivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis for anthropometric indices and sex, only neck circumference remained significantly correlated with blood pressure (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe prevalence of hypertension among adolescents in the study setting was low. An increase in neck circumference results in an increase in blood pressure among adolescents.
Highlights
Hypertension (HTN) is a noncommunicable disease (NCD) which was reported to be most prevalent in Africa at 46%, followed by America at 35% [1]
Characteristics of study participants A total of 616 secondary school adolescents participated in this study, including 212 boys and 404 girls
Prevalence of hypertension among adolescents The overall prevalence of hypertension among adolescents was determined as 3.1% (n = 19) while prehypertension was 7.1% (n = 44)
Summary
Hypertension (HTN) is a noncommunicable disease (NCD) which was reported to be most prevalent in Africa at 46%, followed by America at 35% [1]. The majority of these studies included a wide age-range of the participants and can not sufficiently estimate the prevalence of Htn in adolescents aged 12-19 years. In Uganda, studies investigating the prevalence of Htn among adolescents strictly are still scarce compared to those in adults. The national Asthma survey which included participants aged ≥12 years, showed that the prevalence of Htn increased with age [14]. Studies investigating the prevalence of hypertension and its correlation with anthropometric indices among adolescents are still scarce compared to those conducted in adults of greater than 40 years. No other study estimating the prevalence and correlates of hypertension among adolescents in Uganda has been found
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