Background: Pre-hypertension (HTN) in adolescents and young adults is an important risk factor for developing HTN in future. Increased body mass index (BMI) and physical inactivity may have an adverse effect on blood pressure (BP) in adults which can lead to cardiovascular complications later in life. This study was conducted to assess BP in relation with different obesity indicators.
Aims and Objectives: To study BMI, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic BP-to-height ratio (SBPHR), diastolic BP-to-height ratio (DBPHR), and BP in medical students.
Materials and Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted on 222 medical students from 3 batches of MBBS. All the students were interviewed with predesigned questionnaire; BP, weight, height, waist and hip circumference were measured.
Results: In 73.9% of the subjects BP was normal, 26.1% were pre-hypertensive, and there was no case of HTN. Mean systolic BP was 115.37 ± 8.21 mmHg, and mean diastolic BP was 75.70 ± 7.00 mmHg. Mean BMI was 21.72 ±3.64 kg/m2. 50% of the subjects were in the category of 0.85-1 WHR obese. For SBPHR (0.71 in male and 0.75 in female), sensitivity was 64.1%/68.4% and specificity was 80.8%/70.9%. And for DBPHR (0.46 in male and 0.49 in female), sensitivity was 64.1%/89.5% and specificity was 61.5%/67.4%, respectively.
Conclusion: Out of 222 medical students, 2.7% were in obese Class I and 17.1% were in preobese/overweight category; 50% were in 0.85-1 WHR obese category, which indicates an alarming sign. We can propose SBPHR/DBPHR cutoff 0.71/0.46 in male and 0.75/0.49 in female.
Key words: Body Mass Index; Waist-to-hip Ratio; Systolic Blood Pressure-to-height Ratio; Diastolic Blood Pressure-to-height Ratio; Prehypertension
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