Association of food habits with adolescent hypertension: A study from Manipur

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is one of the major concerning health issues worldwide. Lately, adolescent hypertension has been on the rise with change in the diet and lifestyle as one of the probable contributing factors. Aim of the study: To study the association of food habits with different parameters of hypertension among the adolescents of Manipur. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 728 adolescents of the age range 17–19 years comprising of 470 males and 258 females of Manipur, Northeast India. Blood pressure measurements were taken using a mercury sphygmomanometer, and the average value of three measurements was recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Statistical analysis showed significant association of hypertension with consumption of salty food (P < 0.05, χ2 = 12.28), junk food (P < 0.05, χ2 = 6.07) and sugar sweetened drinks (P < 0.05, χ2 = 8.37). Mean arterial pressure was also found to be significantly associated with sugar-sweetened drink consumption (χ2 = 6.96, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study highlighted the association of salt, sugar and junk food consumption with hypertension among the adolescents of Manipur.