Hypertension and its Determinants Among School Going Adolescents: A Cross Sectional Study in Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertension is a chronic life threatening non- communicable disease. It increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases even leading to premature death. Almost half of the adults with hypertension had elevated blood pressure during childhood. With globalisation and lifestyle changes, adolescents are exposed to various risk factors. However, diagnosis in this population is difficult due to absence of symptoms. Thus, regular blood pressure screening is essential in these groups. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of hypertension and its determinants among the school going adolescents of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study which included five private secondary schools of Kathmandu, Nepal. The adolescent students studying in classes VIII, IX and X were the study subjects. Two stage cluster random sampling technique was used to select 356 participants. Data collection was done by doing anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurement and through self administered questionnaire.

Results: The study depicted that the prevalence of elevated blood pressure was 12.4%, stage 1 hypertension 32.3% and stage 2 hypertension 9.8%. Similarly, 13.8% were overweight and 1.4% were obese. Bivariate analysis depicted significant association of prevalence of hypertension with gender, religion and obesity (p < 0.05). The multivariate analysis shows that the significant predictors of elevated blood pressure and/or hypertension were gender and obesity. Males were six times more likely to have elevated blood pressure (AOR = 6.058, CI = 2.571 - 14.274) and 2.8 times more likely to be hypertensive (AOR = 2.838, CI = 1.688 - 4.773) compared to females. Similarly, compared to obese/ overweight students, thin and normally built ones have less likelihood of having elevated blood pressure and hypertension.

Conclusions: Hypertension has been prevalent among adolescents, due to various behavioural risk factors. This is really challenging and of public health significance. Regular screening of adolescents is essential for early detection and management of hypertension.