Sociodemographic Correlates of Hypertension in Apparently Healthy Secondary School Adolescents in Taraba State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Although several interrelated socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status, are associated with hypertension in adults, conflicting reports exist regarding the patterns of this relationship in children.

Objective: To determine the relationship between sociodemographic factors and hypertension among adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of blood pressure (BP) patterns in 1350 apparently healthy secondary school adolescents (10-19 years) was conducted over six months in Taraba State, Nigeria. The participants were selected from 56 secondary schools through a multistage random sampling technique.

Results: The overall mean systolic BP was 108.9±12.5mmHg while the mean diastolic BP was 68.3±8.2mmHg. The BP consistently increased with age (r = 0.30-0.35, p<0.001). The gender-related differences in BP showed mean systolic BP for boys and girls to be 108.1±13.3mmHg and 109.5±11.7mmHg (t = -2.054, p = 0.040) while the mean diastolic BP was 67.8±8.1mmHg and 68.7±8.2mmHg (t = -2.077, p = 0.038), respectively. Girls had a higher mean systolic BP than boys from early adolescence (t = 3.754, p = 0.001) through middle adolescence (t = -3.025, p = 0.003) but this was reversed during late adolescence with boys having higher mean systolic BP (t = 2.145, p = 0.033). Girls showed dominance in diastolic BP in early and middle adolescence (t = -3.517, p<0.001). Higher BP was common in low socioeconomic classes compared with those from upper socioeconomic classes (F = 1.650, p = 0.850) and diastolic BP (F = 0.193, p = 0.058).

Conclusions: The BP progressively increased with age. Females had greater BP in early to mid-adolescence, while males had higher BP in late adolescence. Higher BP was common in adolescents from low socioeconomic classes.