| Summary: | Background: Hypertension (HT) is one of the greatest non-communicable diseases affecting both sexes in all human populations; and it is a major cause of death and morbidity across the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pre-hypertension, hypertension and investigate the association between blood pressure (BP) and body weight (looking into body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA)). Method: A cross-sectional study of adolescents aged 13−19 years was conducted at three secondary schools consisting of 121 females and 97 males. Data on height; weight; and blood pressure was collected from all participants. BMI and BP percentiles were calculated for each participant. Results: The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension in males was 28.9% and 10.3% compared to 25.6% and 7.4% in females. The prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension in adolescents who are overweight/obese was 7.3% and 2.7%. A weak positive association between BMI; systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found (<i>r</i> = 0.254 and 0.216; <i>p</i>-value = 0.001) for the whole population. A significant, moderate correlation was found between BSA on SBP was found (<i>r</i> = 0.407, <i>p</i>-value = 0.001); and a significant, weak correlation between BSA and DBP was found (<i>r</i> = 0.183, <i>p</i>-value = 0.007. In conclusion, the prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension was higher in males as compared to females. Results highlight the need for screening for blood pressure and body weight in adolescents; especially in adolescents who were found to have pre-hypertension as they are at high risk of developing hypertension.
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