Association Between Body Fat Percentage and Blood Pressure Among Adolescents: A School Based Cross Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30994/jnp.v10i1.1231Keywords:
Adolescents, Blood pressure, Body composition, Body fat percentage, School health screeningAbstract
Background: Adolescent adiposity and elevated blood pressure are important cardiometabolic concerns. Body mass index does not distinguish fat mass from fat free mass, which limits its usefulness as a standalone indicator of adiposity.
Purpose: To assess the association between body fat percentage and blood pressure categories among adolescents.
Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included 245 students from two junior high schools in Kediri, Indonesia. Body fat percentage was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis, and blood pressure was measured using an automatic monitor blood pressure. Descriptive statistics and Spearman rank correlation were used.
Results: Mean age was 13.44 ± 0.93 years; mean body fat was 20.45 ± 5.90%; and mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 110.21 ± 13.38 and 70.49 ± 8.48 mmHg, respectively. Overall, 196 students (80.0%) were categorized as having high or very high body fat, and 48 (19.6%) had non-normal blood pressure categories. The reported correlation was weak (ρ = 0.297; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Body fat and blood pressure categories were associated in this sample. School-based assessment may combine body composition and blood pressure screening, with follow-up confirmation of abnormal blood pressure results.
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