Blood pressure profile for children aged 5 to 6 years and its associated factors – a crosssectional study in Kuching district, Sarawak
- Author:
Cheah Whye Lian
;
Edmund Shin Chin Vui
;
Ayu Akida Abdul Rashid
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Hypertension;
Obesity;
Preschool children
- From:Malaysian Family Physician
2019;14(1):2-9
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Introduction: This study aimed to determine the blood pressure profile for preschool children in
Kuching Sarawak and its relationship with sociodemographic characteristics, nutritional status and
parental hypertension.
Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted in a government preschool in Kuching district
from January to June 2017. Data were collected using questionnaire as well as anthropometric and
blood pressure measurements. Data were entered into and analyzed using SPSS Version 22.
Results: A total of 229 preschool children participated in this study (response rate of 81%). About
9.7% of the respondents were at risk for hypertension. The mean systolic blood pressure was 95.6
mmHg (SD=8.36), and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 59.9 mmHg (SD=6.09). Ten
percent of the children were overweight and 7.4% were obese. Binary logistics regression analysis
indicated that gender (Male: OR = 3.085, p< 0.05), parent’s education level (comparing primary
education and below with secondary education: OR = 4.88, p<0.05; comparing primary education
and below tertiary education: OR = 7.63, p<0.05) and ethnicity (comparing Malay with Chinese:
OR = 0.10, p< 0.01) were significantly associated with being at risk for hypertension.
Conclusion: The study showed that 9.7% of the children were at risk for hypertension and that
17.4% had abnormal body weights. Identifying and tackling the factors leading to these issues
will help to improve and ensure a better quality of non-communicable disease programs offered in
primary health clinics and school health programs.
- Full text:2.2018my0023.pdf
