Prevalence of and Factors Associated With High Blood Pressure Among Adolescents in India

IMPORTANCE: High blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents is becoming one of the most common health conditions worldwide and is much more widely prevalent than previously thought. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of high BP in adolescents in India and identify associated factors. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study is a secondary analysis of data from the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS, 2016-2018), which used a multistage, stratified, probability proportion to size cluster sampling design to enroll a nationally representative sample of households and individuals aged 10 to 19 years across all states and union territories of India. Adolescents with acute or chronic illness, physical deformity, mental illness, or cognitive disability were excluded from the survey. Because BP was measured only in children between 10 and 19 years of age, only data from children within this age group were included for secondary analyses. Data analysis was performed from March 2021 to April 2022. EXPOSURES: Anthropometry. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: On the basis of the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, high BP was defined as stage 1 and 2 hypertension, with BP above the 95th percentile in children younger than 13 years and greater than 130/80 mm Hg in children 13 years or older. The association of age, sex, region, socioeconomic status, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A(1c), and lipid profile with high BP were examined using log binomial regression. RESULTS: Among 16 182 eligible children aged 10 to 19 years (mean [SD] age, 14.2 [2.8] years; 7849 [48.5%] female and 8333 [51.5%] male), 11 718 had valid BP data with 3 repeated readings. the prevalence of high BP was 35.1% (95% CI, 31.5%-38.9%) in children aged 10 to 12 years and 25.1% (95% CI, 22.5%-28.0%) in children 13 years or older. Overweight and obesity were associated with a higher risk of high BP in both younger (prevalence ratio, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.34) and older children (prevalence ratio, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.18-1.49). The prevalence of high BP in younger children with stunting was high at 40.1% (95% CI, 31.9%-48.9%) and was 21.9% (95% CI, 18.2%-26.1%) among older children with stunting. In both age groups, high BP coexisted with other cardiovascular disease risk factors, such that adolescents with high fasting blood glucose, high hemoglobin A(1c), high triglyceride, and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had a higher risk of high BP. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of high BP, along with cardiovascular risk factors, was substantial in Indian adolescents. There is a need to screen and identify adolescents who have high BP and initiate interventions to control the burden of hypertension and its consequences in India.