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Obesity rate triples, hypertension rate declines among Brazilian children
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The rate of obesity among Brazilian school children has tripled in the past 3 decades, rising from 6% in 1986 to 18% in 2016, according to findings from a cross-sectional study presented at the 71st annual Brazilian Congress of Cardiology.
“As overweight and obesity is closely related to other cardiovascular risk factors, we could anticipate a worse cardiovascular condition in early adulthood,” Andrea Araujo Brandao, MD, PhD, FESC, FACC, associate professor of cardiology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, told Endocrine Today. “Adoption of healthy lifestyle measures is urgent, and government policies must be discussed.”
Brandao and colleagues analyzed data from children aged 10 to 15 years participating in the Rio de Janeiro I study in 1986-1987 (n = 3,893; 1,934 boys) and the Rio de Janeiro II study in 2015 (n = 1,722; 742 boys). Researchers measured height, weight and blood pressure of children in both studies.
In the 1986 study, 17.3% of children had overweight or obesity; in 2015, the rate had risen to 32.2% (P < .0001), according to researchers. The increase over 30 years was larger among children with obesity (from 6.4% to 18.2%) vs. children with overweight (from 10.8% to 14%; P < .0001).
Between the two studies, the prevalence of hypertension among children fell from 10.8% to 8.4% (P < .02); isolated systolic hypertension was the most common presentation in both studies but was more prevalent 30 years ago, the researchers noted.
In the Rio de Janeiro II study, only girls aged 10 years did not have a higher prevalence of overweight or obesity vs. girls in the same age group in the 1986 study; girls aged 13 to 15 years had lower BP vs. girls aged 13 to 15 years in the original study (P < .02); isolated systolic and diastolic hypertension were more common in boys aged 11 to 14 years in the 2015 study (P < .02).
“On both occasions, there were significant correlations between [systolic] BP and [diastolic] BP with BMI,” the researchers wrote.
“We found a lower prevalence of [high BP] than 30 years ago, which could be because we changed from the auscultatory to the oscilometric method of measurement,” Brandao said. “It is worth noting that more children in 2016 had isolated diastolic hypertension and combined systolic/diastolic hypertension, which carry a poor prognosis.” – by Regina Schaffer
For more information:
Andrea Araujo Brandao , MD, PhD, FESC, FACC, can be reached at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, R. St. Francis Xavier, Floor 524-1, Room 1006, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20550-900, Brazil; email: andreaabrandao@terra.com.br.
Reference: Fonseca FL, et al. Abstract #43065. Presented at: 71st annual Brazilian Congress of Cardiology; Sept. 23-25, 2016; Fortaleza, Brazil.
Disclosure: Brandao reports no relevant financial disclosures.