Trends in associations between socioeconomic development and urban–rural disparity with high blood pressure in Chinese children and adolescents over two decades

This study aimed to assess the association between the trend of urban–rural disparity in high blood pressure (HBP) in Chinese children and adolescents and socioeconomic development. Data on 1,054,602 students aged 7–18 years were obtained from five successive national surveys administered in 29 Chinese provinces in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2014. HBP was defined as average measured systolic BP and/or diastolic BP equal to or more than 95th percentile. The socioeconomic indicators at the provincial-level included gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the Engel coefficient, and urbanization rates. From 1995 to 2014, HBP prevalence in Chinese children and adolescents fluctuated between 6.9% and 9.2%. Rural areas had a higher prevalence of HBP than urban areas, with a diminishing trend in urban–rural disparity from 1995 to 2010 with a reduced OR from 1.45 (95% CI: 1.40–150) in 1995 to 1.09 (1.05–1.12) in 2010, whereas a widening gap in 2014 with OR of 1.23 (1.19–1.26)). A positive association existed between the improvement of socioeconomic indicators and the increase in HBP, which was demonstrated obviously by the Engel coefficient strata. The increases in the urbanization rates were accompanied by a greater increase of HBP in urban than in rural areas. The large urban–rural disparity suggests a priority of HBP control in rural children due to their current and future HBP and cardiovascular disease risks. Socioeconomic development could affect the urban–rural disparity in HBP risk, reflecting the importance of effective policy responses for preventing HBP by avoiding unhealthy lifestyles brought about by rapid economic development.