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Summary of key findings
Blood pressure in Canadian children and adolescents
Publication: Health Reports 2010:21(2) www.statcan.gc.ca/healthreports
Authors: Gilles Paradis, Mark S.Tremblay, Ian Janssen, Arnaud Chiolero and Tracey Bushnik
Data: 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)
Based on data from the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), this study found a low overall prevalence of elevated or borderline elevated blood pressure among Canadian children and adolescents.
An estimated 0.8% of young people aged 6 to 19 had elevated blood pressure, while 2.1% had borderline levels.
These findings are based based on data from direct, automated measures of blood pressure in cycle 1 of the CHMS, which was conducted from March 2007 through February 2009 at 15 sites across the country.
The survey used a mobile examination centre (a specially designed pair of trailers staffed by trained health professionals) to collect physical measures. This study is based on 2,079 examination centre respondents aged 6 to 19.
Echoing the results of other studies, the study found that mean systolic blood pressure was significantly higher among boys aged 12 to 19 who were overweight or obese, and girls aged 6 to 11 who were overweight or obese.
Mean diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher only among obese boys aged 12 to 19.
Excess weight is believed to influence blood pressure through increased sympathetic nervous system activation, which is associated with systolic blood pressure.
Elevated blood pressure is one of the most important causes of death and disability worldwide, accounting for 7.6 million premature deaths and 92 million disability-adjusted life years annually. Blood pressure levels tend to persist from childhood to adulthood, indicating that elevated blood pressure at young ages is a risk factor for the development of hypertension in adulthood. The tendency for high blood pressure to persist at older ages is strongest among overweight and obese youth.
For more information about this article, contact Gilles Paradis (1-514-398-1418; gilles.paradis@mcgill.ca), Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.
