1. Elevated blood pressure and its predictors among secondary school students in Sarawak: a cross-sectional study.
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Kho, Woei Feng Grace, Cheah, Whye Lian, Hazmi, Helmy, and Grace Kho, Woei Feng
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HYPERTENSION in adolescence , *ANTHROPOMETRY , *HEALTH education , *DISEASE prevalence , *PHYSICAL activity , *HYPERTENSION epidemiology , *PREDICTIVE tests , *CROSS-sectional method - Abstract
Objectives: Hypertension is a health issue affecting adolescents. Accumulating evidence affirms that elevated blood pressure begins in childhood and tracks into adulthood. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of elevated blood pressure and its predictors among secondary school students in Sarawak, Malaysia.Methods: A total of 2,461 secondary school students aged 12-17 years from 19 schools in Sarawak participated in the study. Questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data, parental history of hypertension, and self-reported physical activity. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken. Data was entered and analysed using SPSS version 23.0.Results: The prevalence of adolescents with elevated blood pressure, overweight, central obesity, and overfat were 30.1%, 24.3%, 13.5%, and 6.7%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated the predictors significantly associated with elevated blood pressure among respondents: overweight (adjusted odds ratio=3.144), being male (adjusted odds ratio=3.073), being Chinese (adjusted odds ratio=2.321) or Iban (adjusted odds ratio=1.578), central obesity (adjusted odds ratio=2.145), being overfat (adjusted odds ratio=1.885), and being an older adolescent (adjusted odds ratio=1.109). Parental history of hypertension, locality, and physical activity showed no significant associations.Conclusion: The obesity epidemic must be tackled at community and school levels by health education and regulation of school canteen foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
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