Correlation between anthropometric measurements and blood pressure in a population of Palestinian adults.

Obesity can be a major problem due to its potential to cause a number of health issues, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Many reports have come out of Palestine on overweight and obesity and their direct link to non-communicable diseases, although there is only limited evidence available on the connection between obesity and hypertension in Palestinian adults. We aimed to look at the associations between anthropometric and body composition variables and blood pressure in a large population of Palestinian adults (1337 subjects) and determine which anthropometric indices most strongly correlate with high blood pressure. Anthropometric measurements including height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), body mass index (BMI), and total body fat (TBF) were assessed. A body composition analyzer was used to measure body weight, fat mass and fat-free mass. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were measured using a Dinamap vital signs monitor. In both males and females, all the anthropometric measurements showed significant strong positive correlations with mean SBP and mean DBP (p < 0.01). SBP correlated the most strongly with waist circumference in all subjects (r = 0.444 in females, r = 0.422 in males), while DBP correlated the most strongly with WC in males (r = 0.386), but with TBF in females (r = 0.256). By controlling fat percentage, WC, HC, and BMI, which are affected by extra weight and lack of exercise, blood pressure levels can be regulated.

Obesity-Related Parameters Are Associated with Blood Pressure in Palestinian Children.

Hypertension has been established as a common health condition in young people. Most studies have focused on the impact of body mass index (BMI), but the relationships between body composition parameters and blood pressure in Palestinian children has not previously been investigated. We aimed to analyze the prevalence of overweight/obesity and elevated blood pressure/hypertension and investigate the associations among obesity-related parameters, including anthropometric and body composition markers and blood pressure levels in a population of 971 Palestinian school children (50% girls; mean age 10.3 ± 1.1 years). Anthropometric measurements including height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were assessed. A body composition analyzer was used to measure body weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass. Blood pressure including systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured using a Dinamap vital signs monitor. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 25.3% in the girls and 23.1% in the boys. 26.3% of the children had elevated systolic blood pressure, or systolic hypertension; whereas 23.4% had elevated diastolic blood pressure, or diastolic hypertension. All obesity-related variables, with the exception of WHR and WHtR, showed statistical differences among the normotension, elevated blood pressure and hypertension groups for systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.05). Children with elevated blood pressure or hypertension had significantly higher weight, BMI, WC, HC, fat mass, and fat-free mass values compared to participants with normotension, supporting the direct association between obesity and hypertension in this population. Weight-reduction interventions are essential for reducing the prevalence of childhood hypertension in Palestinian children.