Blood Pressure and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Young Black Adults

Abstract

Background High blood pressure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide including Africa. The age of onset of this condition among young adult black urban dwellers is largely unknown. The economic burden occasioned by this condition calls for early detection to facilitate effective management. We determined the blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors among urban dwelling young adults at the school of medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Objective To determined the blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors among urban dwelling young adults at the school of medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Methods Three hundred and fifty one medical students were included in the study and grouped by level of study, physical activity and smoking status. The blood pressure, weight, height, hip and waist circumference were measured. Results The mean blood pressure, BMI and Waist hip ratio were 121/73 mmhg, 21.8 and 0.81 respectively. Seventy six students (26%) had a BMI below 20, while 28 students (9.6%) had a BMI greater than 25. A quarter of the students had prehypertension while 35(10%) students had stage 1 hypertension. Conclusions Almost half of the young black adults have early non-obesity related hypertension. Elevated blood pressure in the young adults should be controlled to prevent cardiovascular disease related death later in life