Food habits and risk factors for systemic arterial hypertension in schools

Abstract

Introduction: Currently, there are increasingly early high blood pressure levels among adolescents, which is an important cardiovascular risk factor. Objective: To evaluate the food habits and the frequency of the following risk factors for hypertension in students: obesity, overweight, abdominal obesity, physical inactivity, family background and high blood pressure levels. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive exploratory study, carried out at a public high school in a city in Southwest of Goiás State in a non-probabilistic convenience sampling of 76 students. We used two questionnaires: “Saúde na Boa” and Habitual Physical Activity, both validated for use in the Brazilian population. Inclusion criteria were individuals regularly enrolled in school of both sexes; age ranging from 14 to 18 years old; Those who were not pregnant; free from any type of medication, and without any reduced physical ability. Variables presented normal distribution. Frequencies of the risk factors were assessed by the Chi-squared test. Comparison between genders was performed by the t test for independent samples. The analyzes of association between risk factors and blood pressure were performed by bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis. The established significance level was p < 0,05. Results: Of the students, 82,9% had two or more risk factors for hypertension. The most prevalent ones were physical inactivity, abdominal obesity, and family background. There were positive associations between systolic and diastolic blood pressure with body mass index and waist circumference. In addition, the lowest averages of physical activity were observed in female participants. In relation to food habits, it was observed low consumption of fruits and high consumption of sweets and soft drinks. Conclusion: These data make evident to the exposure of students to multiple risk factors for chronic diseases and can guide intersectoral actions of academic communities, educational, and health authorities.