Prevalence of Obesity and Hypertension among Apparently Healthy School Children Aged 5-15 Years of Affluent Societies of Nandyal

Childhood obesity increases the risk for the development of various non-communicable diseases later in life. Studies have shown that obese children have an increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. This study was taken up to evaluate the prevalence of obesity and hypertension among apparently healthy school-aged children. Aims and objectives: To estimate the a) Prevalence of obesity and hypertension b) Correlation between obesity and hypertension among apparently healthy school children aged 5-15 years. Materials and methods: Data collected through questionnaire from 1500 apparently healthy school children is analyzed. Results: The prevalence of obesity is 3.8% and overweight 6.93%. The prevalence of hypertension is 2.2%, and prehypertension is 2.6%. The prevalence of obesity and hypertension in boys was 2.36% and 2.05% respectively, whereas in girls it was 6.45% and 2.46%. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity and hypertension was higher in girls compared to boys. Hypertension was found to be significantly higher in the obese group. Keywords: Obesity, Hypertension, school children