Hypertension prevalence among children aged 6-17 years in Dalian

Objective To know the prevalence of hypertension and its relevant factors among children.Methods From two primary schools and two junior schools,1 745 children(907 males,838 female) aged 6-17 years were sampled with cluster random sampling.Blood pressure was measured and some related factors were investigated with a uniform questionnaire.Spss 13.0 software was used for data analysis.Results The prevalence of hypertension among the children was 9.3%(11.9% in the boys,6.6% in the girls).There was an obvious hereditary trend in hypertentsion prevalence and the effect of maternal heredity was more distinct (χ²=5.363,P=0.000).The fatness of the children was colsely related to the prevalence of hypertension(χ²=137.06,P=0.000).Sleeping time of the hypertensives was shorter than that of normal children.Conclusion Heredity,fatness,diet and sleeping habit are strongly associated with hypertension among children.