Relationship between height and blood pressure in Japanese schoolchildren

Background:  Blood pressure examinations for health education use have been conducted at several schools in Japan. It has been reported that blood pressure is closely associated with bodyweight and height in US children. The aim of the present paper was to evaluate the association between height and blood pressure in Japanese schoolchildren. Methods:  In Iwata city in Japan, blood pressure screening was conducted by the school administration. A total of 98.9% (10 152/10 270 children) of all fifth (10-year-olds) and ninth graders (14-year-olds) residing in the Old Iwata area from 2002 to 2007 were analyzed. Results:  In 10-year-old and 14-year-old boys, regression analysis indicated that a positive correlation between weight and blood pressure was the strongest among the three body size indices (height, weight, and body mass index), but the association between height and blood pressure was also significant. For girls from both the 10 and 14 year age groups, the correlation of weight and blood pressure was stronger than those for the other body size indices, but there were also significant associations between height and blood pressure, except for height and diastolic blood pressure in the 14-year-olds. Conclusions:  There is a significant positive relationship between height and blood pressure. Further study is necessary to provide a blood pressure reference based on height in the Japanese program to prevent children from developing lifestyle-related risk factors.