Objective: There is limited data on distribution of blood pressure in Indian children. The study aims to determine blood pressure distribution in Indian school children and to derive population specific reference values appropriate for age, gender and height status.
Methods: Stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select the children. Blood pressure and anthropometric data were collected from 20,263 students of 5-16 years age during the period 2005–06. Three readings of blood pressures of each child were taken by mercury sphygmomanometer and their mean was used for analysis. Blood pressure percentiles in relation to sex, age and height were estimated using polynomial regression models.
Results: The regression coefficients from polynomial regression model were used to derive blood pressure percentiles. These percentiles were compared with those from international reference population. The study shows that Indian children have higher diastolic pressures for both sexes than published international standards (figure). For systolic blood pressure, Indian girls showed higher values than the reference standard while for boys, the difference appears to be minimal.
Conclusion: Blood pressure distribution in Indian children demonstrates a unique pattern underlining the need for population specific reference values. The study population exhibits significantly higher blood pressure values in comparison to reference population, which assumes considerable public health significance.