Prevalence of Hypertension Among Schoolchildren in Shimla

This cross-sectional study was done to find the prevalence of sustained hypertension and prehypertension among school children aged 11-17 years. A total of 1085 apparently healthy students from rural and urban schools in hills of northern India were examined using standard methods. Students with blood pressures above the 90(th) centile were re-examined after four weeks. The mean BMI of the students was 17.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m(2), 5 (0.4%) were obese, and 39 (3.5%) overweight. After two evaluations, hypertension was identified in 62 (5.9%) children and prehypertension in 130 (12.3%). Urban and rural children had comparable rates of elevated BP (hypertension and prehypertension). Rates of elevated BP were significantly higher (46.5% vs 17%, P<0.001) among those with high BMI (overweight and obese) compared to those with normal BMI. In conclusion, nearly 20% of the school children had elevated blood pressures.