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Childhood Risk Factors for High Adult Blood Pressure: The Muscatine Study
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1989
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HypertensionAnthropometric IndicatorAdolescent Cardiovascular HealthBlood PressureObesityBody CompositionAdolescent MedicineChildhood Risk FactorsMuscatine StudyPublic HealthAdult Blood PressureChildhood Blood PressureRiskEpidemiologyChild DevelopmentChildhood ObesityCardiovascular DiseasePediatricsChild NutritionMedicine
Elevated adult blood pressure is linked to atherosclerosis, stroke, and renal disease, whereas childhood blood pressure levels have not been shown to predict disease unless markedly high. The study aims to assess whether childhood blood pressure and related factors predict high blood pressure in young adulthood. A longitudinal cohort of 2,445 participants was followed from ages 7–18 to 20–30, with periodic blood pressure, height, and weight measurements and adult health questionnaires. Adult blood pressure correlated with childhood blood pressure, body size, and changes in ponderosity, and the greatest weight‑for‑height increases were seen in those who became most obese, indicating that limiting excess ponderosity during adolescence could reduce adult hypertension.
In adult populations, elevated blood pressure is related to the development of occlusive atherosclerosis, stroke, and renal disease. The significance of blood pressure levels in childhood, unless extremely elevated, has not been related to disease outcomes. In this study, the risk of high blood pressure in young adult life is evaluated based on the observations of blood pressure and other factors made during the school-aged years. Subjects, 2445 in number, were first observed at ages 7 through 18 years and again between 20 and 30 years. During childhood, measurements of blood pressure, height, and weight were made in alternate years. At adult ages, the same measurements were again made and a health questionnaire was administered. According to the data, adult blood pressure is correlated with childhood blood pressure, body size, and change in ponderosity from childhood to adult life. Adult ponderosity is related to childhood ponderosity, and those who are most obese as adults show the greatest increase in weight for height from their childhood years. These observations suggest that strategies to prevent the acquisition of excess ponderosity during adolescence may be useful in preventing adult hypertension.