Association between active commuting and elevated blood pressure in adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the association between active commuting and blood pressure in adolescents. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with high school students from public education network in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Data from 6039 students (14 to 19 years) were collected using a questionnaire. “Physically inactive” were considered those who reported not to walk or ride a bicycle to and from school on any day of the past week, and/or those who, regardless of the weekly frequency of practice this type of activity, reported the duration of commuting to school was less than 20 minutes (round trip). The high blood pressure was obtained by Omron HEM 742 equipment. Adolescents with high blood pressure were defined as those with higher blood pressure or equal to the 95th percentile for age, sex and height. Regression logistic analyses were used to assess the association between active commuting and high blood pressure, considering adjustments for the following confounders: sex, age, overweight, total physical activity, socioeconomic level, place of residence. Results: The prevalence of high blood pressure was 7.3%, and 79.3% were considered insufficiently active in commuting. There was an association between high blood pressure and active commuting only among those living in rural areas (OR = 6.498; 95% CI = 1.513-27.900), and the same was not observed among those living in urban areas (OR = 1.113; 95% CI = 0.812-1.526). Conclusion: Active commuting can be considered a protective factor for high blood pressure in adolescents living in rural areas.

摘要

研究目的：分析青少年主动通勤与血压的关联。

研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，研究对象为巴西伯南布哥州公立学校系统中的高中生。本研究通过问卷收集了6039名年龄介于14至19岁的学生数据。将「通勤体力活动不足」定义为：过去一周内任意一日均未以步行或骑行方式往返学校者，或无论每周进行此类通勤活动的频率如何，其往返学校的通勤总时长不足20分钟者。高血压通过欧姆龙HEM 742（Omron HEM 742）设备检测。青少年高血压的判定标准为：其血压值高于或等于同年龄、同性别及同身高人群的第95百分位数。本研究采用logistic回归分析（logistic regression analysis）评估主动通勤与高血压的关联，并对以下混杂因素进行校正：性别、年龄、超重状态、总体体力活动水平、社会经济地位及居住地点。

研究结果：本次研究显示，青少年高血压患病率为7.3%，其中79.3%被归类为通勤体力活动不足。仅在居住于农村地区的青少年群体中，观察到高血压与主动通勤存在显著关联（比值比（Odds Ratio）=6.498；95%置信区间（95% Confidence Interval）=1.513~27.900）；而在城市居住的青少年中未发现此类关联（比值比=1.113；95%置信区间=0.812~1.526）。

研究结论：主动通勤可作为农村地区青少年高血压的保护因素。