Levels of pressure for adolescent students and risk indicators for arterial hypertension - a descriptive study

Abstract

This transversal, descriptive, and analytical study attempts to identify the levels of pressure for a determined population of adolescent students and the risk indicators of significant association for arterial hypertension. The research was developed in a public school of the capital of the state of Maranhão, Brazil, with a sample size of 302 adolescent students. The data was collected using questionnaires with open and closed questions. Of the total number of adolescents who participated, 2.7% presented arterial hypertension, the greatest number of these within the age group of 14 to 17 years old, and predominantly masculine. In this study, after the statistic analysis, the association of arterial pressure behavior with gender, age, and nutritional situation did not show significance (p> 0.05), even though there was scientific corroboration among these variables as risk indicators for arterial hypertension. Smoking and the type of nourishment showed to be risk factors for arterial hypertension with (p<0.05). Although the present study has not found association between the nutritional situation of adolescents and arterial hypertension, it was observed that there exist important nutritional alterations, even though at the moment they have not affected arterial pressure. This study points out the need for the measurement of arterial pressure to be incorporated into the practice of clinical pediatrics, especially for the activities of health in schools, such that adolescents with alterations in their arterial pressure can be identified and evaluated earlier. Key-Words: Arterial pressure; Arterial Hipertensão; Health of the pertaining to school.