DISTRIBUTION OF BLOOD PRESSURE AND ITS ANTHROPOMETRIC CORRELATES AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN OF RURAL PUDUCHERRY

Background: Hypertension is the tenth leading cause of death worldwide. Hypertension has its root in childhood itself. But blood pressure determination among school-going adolescents and acting upon it has traditionally not been given enough importance. Objectives: To explore the distribution pattern of blood pressure and their correlation with anthropometric indices among secondary school children. Methodology: Cross sectional study was conducted in schools of Seliamedu Puducherry, involving students of 11 to 15 years of age. Blood pressure and anthropometric indices were measured for data collection. Results: Among the 405 subjects, the prevalence of high blood pressure was found to be 8.6%. The pattern of distribution of blood pressure increases as the age increases. Correlations between blood pressure and height, weight and BMI were positive with significance level of less than 0.01. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension among the school children which remained unnoticed. Hence tracking of blood pressure, awareness about obesity and hypertension can be prioritized as a part of educational curriculum.