Waist Circumference is Associated with Blood Pressure in Children with Normal Body Mass Index: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 3,417 School Children

Abstract Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity and associated conditions, such as hypertension, has become a major problem of public health. Although waist circumference (WC) is a marker of cardiovascular risk in adults, it is unclear whether this index is associated with cardiovascular risk factors in children. Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the association between increased WC and elevated blood pressure (BP) in children with normal body mass index (BMI) ranges. Methods: Cross-sectional evaluation of students between 6 and 11 years with normal BMI. WC was categorized by quartile for each age group. Normal BP was defined as values背景：儿童肥胖及其相关病症（如高血压（hypertension））的患病率已成为重大公共卫生问题。尽管腰围（waist circumference, WC）是成人心血管风险的标志物，但该指标是否与儿童心血管危险因素相关尚不明确。研究目的：本研究旨在评估体质量指数（body mass index, BMI）正常范围的儿童中，腰围升高与血压升高（blood pressure, BP）之间的关联。研究方法：对6至11岁体质量指数正常的学生开展横断面研究，按各年龄组的四分位数对腰围进行分组。正常血压定义为