Prevalence rates of hypertensive and obese children in a public elementary school in southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Revista Da Universidade Vale Do Rio Verde

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Início Publicação: 01/02/1998
Periodicidade: Semestral

Prevalence rates of hypertensive and obese children in a public elementary school in southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Ano: 2012 | Volume: 10 | Número: 1
Autores: Nádia Bonfilio LIMA, Márcia Maria MASSAFERA, Rudy BONFILIO, Sueli Leiko Takamatsu GOYATÁ, Márcia Helena Miranda Cardoso PODESTÁ, Olinda Maria Gomes da Costa VILAS BOAS, Eric Batista FERREIRA, Walnéia Aparecida de SOUZA
Autor Correspondente: Walnéia Aparecida de SOUZA1 | [email protected]

Palavras-chave: Children’s health. Body mass index. Hypertension. Overweight. Prevalence

Resumos Cadastrados

Resumo Inglês:

Many studies have disclosed that high blood pressure in adults is a disease that starts in
childhood. The aim of this study was to perform a survey about the prevalence rates of hypertensive and
obese children in at a public elementary school in southern Minas Gerais, as well as to verify the
correlation between weight alterations and blood pressure. We evaluated 274 children, from both genders,
aged between 6 and 13, from October until December 2009. This study identified 7.3% prevalence of
hypertension among the evaluated children. Furthermore, it found a high percentage of obese individuals
(16.4% overweight and 12.8% obese). Besides, the study showed a statistical tendency of increasing
blood pressure levels due to increase in the BMI. These results show the importance of precocious
diagnosis of hypertension and the need of obesity prevention, and they remark the necessity of changes in
the present health care system for obtaining treatment turned to chronic conditions.