Hyderabad: A recent study, conducted in Hyderabad by paediatricians from the city revealed that not only in adults but hypertension is being detected increasingly among school-going children as well. The study conducted on 514 school-going children aged between 10 and 15 years has found that 9.70 percent of the children had hypertension whereas around 12 per cent had pre-hypertension.
Similar results were found in the studies conducted on school students in other parts of the country as well. The studies revealed that improper food habits and lack of physical activity are the major factors for school children developing hypertension.
Overweight children are more likely to fall prey to hypertension compared to those who are not overweight. Hypertension was prevalent among 40 percent of the school children who were obese and overweight; it was prevalent among just 7.50 percent of the school children who were not overweight.
Besides children who spent less time on physical activity and consumed more junk and oily food are more likely to suffer from hypertension.
Hypertension was found more among children belonging to higher socioeconomic class as compared to children from lower socio-economic background. The study was conducted by Dr K Satyanarayana, a paediatrician at a private hospital in the city.
According to Dr M Suresh Babu, assistant professor of paediatrics, Niloufer Hospital, obesity is a major factor behind hypertension.
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