Sex, Obesity, and Blood Pressure Among African American Adolescents: The Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: This study examined the degree to which sex, weight status, and the presence of hypertension and obesity in parents/grandparents were associated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure (BP) among African American youth in a pilot offspring study examining obesity-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among adolescents. RESULTS: Fully adjusted linear regression models of the total sample produced results indicating that obesity was associated with BP (SBP: beta = 7.08, P < 0.01; DBP: beta = 8.14, P < 0.001). Sex-stratified analyses indicated that overweight and obesity were associated with SBP (overweight: beta = 6.77, P < 0.01; obese: beta = 11.65, P < 0.001) and obesity was correlated with DBP (beta = 9.86, P < 0.001) among males. For females, overweight was correlated with SBP (beta = 4.11, P < 0.05) while obesity was associated with DBP (beta = 6.98, P < 0.01). Attempting to lose weight was inversely related to SBP (beta = -4.01, P < 0.05) in the full sample and among males (beta = -11.94, P < 0.001). Familial presence of hypertension and/or obesity was significantly associated with SBP among adolescent females but not males. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between weight status, familial hypertension and obesity status, and BP among adolescents vary by sex. This study underscores the need for additional research investigating the relationship between individual sex, weight status, BP and familial BP, and obesity status on risk among African American adolescents.