Skip to main content

Central adiposity and the risk of hypertension in Asian Indian girls

World Journal of Pediatrics volume 9, pages 256–260 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Elevated blood pressure during childhood is an established predictor of elevated blood pressure in adulthood. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship of general and central adiposity measures with hypertension and to find out the best adiposity measure in predicting hypertension.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 197 girls aged 5 to 16 years. Anthropometric measurements included stature, weight, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference. Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2), waist hip ratio (WHR) and conicity index (CI) were calculated subsequently. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic bold pressure (DBP) were taken and hypertension was defined as age and stature adjusted SBP and/or DBP ≥95th percentile. Linear and logistic regression analysis was made to determine the relationship of adiposity measure with blood pressure and hypertension and to find out the best adiposity measure in predicting hypertension.

Results

Both WC [odds ratio (OR)=2.20, 95% confidence interval, 1.32–3.69] and CI (OR=1.85, 95% confidence interval, 1.14–3.0) were significantly associated with hypertension. However, there was no significant association in BMI and WHR with hypertension.

Conclusion

WC is the best adiposity measure in predicting hypertension in girls.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Wan YP, Xu RY, Wu YJ, Chen ZQ, Cai W. Diet intervention on obese children with hypertension in China. World J Pediatr 2009;5:269–274.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Monyeki KD, Kemper HCG, Makgae PJ. The association of fat patterning with blood pressure in rural South African children: the Ellisras longitudinal growth and health study. Int J Epidemiol 2006;35:114–120.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Jafar TH, Islam M, Poulter N, Hatcher J, Schmid CH, Levey AS, et al. Children in South Asia have higher body mass-adjusted blood pressure levels than White children in the United States: a comparative study. Circulation 2005;111:1291–1297.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Maffeis C, Pietrobelli A, Grezzani A, Provera S, Tato L. Waist circumference and cardiovascular risk factors in prepubertal children. Obes Res 2001;9:179–187.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Deepa M, Farooq S, Deepa R, Manjula D, Mohan V. Prevalence and significance of generalized and central body obesity in an urban Asian Indian population in Chennai, India (CURES: 47). Eur J Clin Nutr 2009;63:259–267.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Botton J, Heude B, Kettaneh A, Borys JM, Lommez A, Bresson JL, et al. Cardiovascular risk factor levels and their relationships with overweight and fat distribution in children: the Fleurbaix Laventie Ville Sante II study. Metabolism 2007;56:614–622.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Taylor RW, Jones IE, Williams SM, Goulding A. Evaluation of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and the conicity index as screening tools for high trunk fat mass, as measured by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry, in children aged 3–19 y. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;72:490–495.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Dencker M, Thorsson O, Linden C, Wollmer P, Andersen LB, Karlsson MK. BMI and objectively measured body fat and body fat distribution in prepubertal children. Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2007;27:12–16.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hujova Z, Alberty R, Ahlers I, Ahlersova E, Paulikova E, Desatnikova J, et al. Cardiovascular risk predictors in central Slovakian Roma children and adolescents: regional differences. Cent Eur J Public Health 2010;18:139–144.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Snehalatha C, Viswanathan V, Ramachandran A. Cutoff values for normal anthropometric variables in Asian Indian adults. Diabetes Care 2003;26:1380–1384.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Bose K, Ghosh A, Roy S, Gangopadhyay S. Blood pressure and waist circumference: an empirical study of the effects of waist circumference on blood pressure among Bengalee male jute workers of Belur, West Bengal, India. J Physiol Anthropol Appl Human Sci 2003;22:169–173.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lohman TG, Roche AF, Martorell R. Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Illinois: Human Kinetic, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  13. de Onis M, Onyango AW, Borghi E, Siyam A, Nishida C, Siekmann J. Development of a WHO growth reference for school-aged children and adolescents. Bull World Health Organ 2007;85:660–667.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. The fourth report on the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2004;114:555–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Buch N, Goyal JP, Kumar N, Parmar I, Shah VB, Charan J. Prevalence of hypertension in school going children of Surat city, Western India. J Cardiovasc Dis Res 2011;2:228–232.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Prabhjot A, Kaur N, Kumari K, Sidhu S. Variation in blood pressure among school children of Amritsar (Punjab). Anthropologist 2005;7:201–204.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Savva SC, Tornaritis M, Savva ME, Kourides Y, Panagi A, Silikiotou N, et al. Waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio are better predictors of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children than body mass index. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000;24:1453–1458.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Ellis KJ, Abrams SA, Wong WW. Monitoring childhood obesity: assessment of the weight/height index. Am J Epidemiol 1999;150:939–946.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Garn SM, Leonard WR, Hawthorne VM. Three limitations of the body mass index. Am J Clin Nutr 1986;44:996–997.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Tamakoshi K, Yatsuya H, Wada K, Matsushita K, Otsuka R, Yang PO, et al. Birth weight and adult hypertension: cross sectional study in a Japanese workplace population. Circ J 2006;70:262–267.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Banerji MA, Faridi N, Atluri R, Chaiken RL, Lebovitz HE. Body composition, visceral fat, leptin and insulin resistance in Asian Indian men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999;84:137–144.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang Y. Is obesity associated with early sexual maturation? A comparison of the association in American boys versus girls. Pediatrics 2002;110:903–910.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. de Ridder CM, de Boer RW, Seidell JC, Nieuwenhoff CM, Jeneson JA, Bakker CJ, et al. Body fat distribution in pubertal girls quantified by magnetic resonance imaging. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1992;16:443–449.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Fernandes RA, Rosa CS, Buonani C, de Oliveira AR, Freitas-Junior IF. The use of bioelectrical impedance to detect excess visceral and subcutaneous fat. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2007;83:529–534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Ferreira AP, Oliveira CE, Franca NM. Metabolic syndrome and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in obese children: the relationship with insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). J Pediatr (Rio J) 2007;83:21–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sinaiko A. Obesity, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. J Pediatr (Rio J) 2007;83:3–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Al-Sendi AM, Shetty P, Musaiger AO, Myatt M. Relationship between body composition and blood pressure in Bahraini adolescents. Br J Nutr 2003;90:837–844.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Valdez R, Seidell JC, Ahn YI, Weiss KM. A new index of abdominal adiposity as an indicator of risk for cardiovascular disease. A cross population study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1993;17:77–82.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Maffeis C, Corciulo N, Livieri C, Rabbone I, Trifiro G, Falorni A, et al. Waist circumference as a predictor of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors in obese girls. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003;57:566–572.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Sung RY, Yu CC, Choi KC, McManus A, Li AM, Xu SL, et al. Waist circumference and body mass index in Chinese children: cutoff values for predicting cardiovascular risk factors. Int J Obes (Lond) 2007;31:550–558.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Leung LC, Sung RY, So HK, Wong SN, Lee KW, Lee KP, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for hypertension in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents: waist circumference predicts hypertension, exercise decreases risk. Arch Dis Child 2011;96:804–809.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Genovesi S, Antolini L, Giussani M, Brambilla P, Barbieri V, Galbiati S, et al. Hypertension, prehypertension, and transient elevated blood pressure in children: association with weight excess and waist circumference. Am J Hypertens 2010;23:756–761.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Katzmarzyk PT, Perusse L, Malina RM, Bouchard C. Seven-year stability of indicators of obesity and adipose tissue distribution in the Canadian population. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:1123–1129.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Koulouridis E, Georgalidis K, Kostimpa I, Kalantzi M, Ntouto P, Koulouridis I, et al. Factors influencing blood pressure control in children and adolescents. Int Urol Nephrol 2008;40:741–748.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, 731235, West Bengal, India

    Jyoti Ratan Ghosh

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, 35 Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata, 700019, West Bengal, India

    Arup Ratan Bandyopadhyay

Authors
  1. Jyoti Ratan Ghosh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arup Ratan Bandyopadhyay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jyoti Ratan Ghosh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ghosh, J.R., Bandyopadhyay, A.R. Central adiposity and the risk of hypertension in Asian Indian girls. World J Pediatr 9, 256–260 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-013-0424-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-013-0424-2

Key words

  • anthropometry
  • girls
  • hypertension
  • waist circumference