Prevalence and Factors that Influence Hypertension in Adolescents in Central Jakarta

Hypertension in adolescent has been often associated with other cardiovascular risk factors. Contributing factors of hypertension in adolescent are multifactorial. We aim to determine the prevalence of hypertension in adolescent and its potentially associated factors. A cross-sectional study involved 313 children aged 12-18 years, where were randomly selected from Junior High Schools in Central Jakarta. Information about family history, race/ethnic, birth weight, physical activity levels, smoking and consumption of alcohol was gathered by questionnaire. Body weight, height, and blood pressure were measured. Hypertension was defined according to the Fourth Report of National High Blood Pressure Education Programme Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescent. The study included 313 adolescents with mean age 13.97±1.02 years. Prevalence of hypertension was 9.6%. Bivariate analysis showed that family history of hypertension (parental hypertension; p = 0.012; CI 95% = 1,20-6,02) and overweight/obesity (p<0.001; CI 95% = 2,99-14,42) were significantly associated with hypertension. The multivariate analysis indicated that overweight/obese adolescents displayed six times more chance of having hypertension than adolescents with light/normal weight (OR = 6.5; CI 95% = 2.99-14.43). Gender, low birth weight, race/ethnic, physical activity, and smoking were not significantly associated with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension in the sample studied was high. Overweight/obesity and family history of hypertension were significantly associated with hypertension. The prevention of overweight and obesity can decrease the prevalence of hypertension.