Abstract

Hypertension in Relation to Overweight/Obesity among Adolescents in Mashhad, Iran

Author(s): Khosro Shafaghi 1, Zalilah Mohd Shariff 2 and Mohd Nasir Mohd Taieb 2

Hypertension in adolescents is new concern in recent decades. Increasing cardiovascular risk factor such as hypertension is related to overweight and obesity among adolescents. Both, obesity and hypertension as important public health challenges are increasing worldwide. An increase in both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Globally, every year, Millions of premature deaths and disability-adjusted life years are related to hypertension. It has been predicted a huge number of hypertensive peoples to total of 1.56 billion by the year 2025. The relationship of hypertension and obesity is much more complex than previously supposed. Studies have revealed the link of high BMI with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension among the adolescents and investigate its relationship with overweight and obesity in Mashhad city.