High prevalence of hypertension in obese children in the Caribbean

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Obesity in children and adults leads to diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular disease.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of high blood pressure in overweight and obese children in the Caribbean.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, weight and height were measured in all 5–16-year-old children attending public school in 2008 on Bonaire, an island in the Caribbean. Cut-off values for body mass index (BMI) are defined by the International Obesity Task Force. Blood pressure was measured in all overweight and obese children as well as in a control group with normal weight and compared with reference values from the National High Blood Pressure Working Group on Children.

Results: 94% (2023/2152) of all children participated in the study. 17% (335/2023) of the children were overweight (excluding obesity) and a further 12% (246/2023) were obese. Hypertension was found in 13% (67/526) of children of normal weight, in 23% (71/307) of overweight children and in 53% (127/242) of obese children. Compared with normal-weight children, the odds for hypertension were 2·1 (95% CI 1·4–3·0) for overweight children and 7·2 (95% CI 5·0–10·3) for obese children.

Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension in overweight and obese children on Bonaire. As hypertension is a harbinger of cardiovascular disease, early detection and treatment of overweight and obese children is of paramount importance and their blood pressure needs to be measured regularly.

Keywords:

• Caribbean
• Children
• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Overweight

This work was supported by the Department of Health and Hygiene of Bonaire and Maduro and Curiels Bank. We thank S. Pourier, head of the department of Child Health Care on Bonaire, for her contribution to the study. We thank the children, their parents and the school staff for participation in the study.