Birth weight and blood pressure in first-grade elementary school students: A preliminary study

Abstract

Background Fetal programming theory reveals that low birth weight is associated with higher risks of hypertension and cardio- vascular diseases in the adulthood. Objective To study the difference in blood pressure among first- grade students of different birth weight groups. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed. Blood pressure of 214 healthy first-grade elementary school students (102 males and 112 females) in Bunaken Subdistrict, Manado, Indonesia, was measured using a standard sphygmomanometer with appropriate cuff for arm size. Two readings were taken. Parents were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the information on birth weight and length and confirmed by retrieving the record on a growth chart and/or a maternal-child health book. The subjects were di- vided into 6 groups according to their birth weight. The differences in blood pressure values between birth weight groups were exam- ined by ANOVA. Results Systolic blood pressures were significantly higher in the <2500 g birth weight group (100.73+9.99 mmHg vs. 93.70+8.29 mmHg) and in the 2500-<3000 g birth weight group compared to those of the 3500-<4000 g one (99.56+9.14 mmHg vs. 93.70+8.29 mmHg) with a P of 0.048 and 0.014, respectively. There was no difference between diastolic blood pressure and birth weight. Conclusion Our study showed that the lower birth weight group tends to have a higher systolic blood pressure than that of children with normal birth weight

Keywords

• fetal programming
• hypertension
• birth weight
• blood pressure