Lifestyle Determinants of Hypertension among Government School Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: High blood pressure in adolescents is a growing concern around the world, and is caused by various lifestyle factors like an unhealthy diet, high in sodium and fats, lack of sleep, and physical inactivity. Unchecked hypertension during adolescence can lead to stroke, cardiovascular and kidney disease later in life. This study investigated any possible correlation between lifestyle variables and adolescent hypertension.Materials and Method: A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted with 600 school-going adolescents after obtaining permission from Ethical Committee, school administration, and parents. Data was collected for the student’s sociodemographic profile, personal/family history, lifestyle habits, BMI, and systolic/diastolic blood pressure. Qualitative data were presented as percentages or proportions; quantitative data was denoted by mean and standard deviation. ‘p-value’ less than 0.05 was considered significant.Results: Most of the adolescents (68%) were found to be underweight. Sleep duration had a negative correlation with blood pressure, which showed a statistically significant difference. Other lifestyle variables didn’t show any significant relationship with hypertension.Conclusion: 2/3rd of government school students studied were underweight, with a ratio of 1.2 normotensives for every hypertensive individual. Sleep duration exhibited a negative correlation with blood pressure, showing the importance of sleep.