The prevalence of hypertension in young adults is marked and social determinants of health amplify the risk.
Nearly a quarter of Americans aged 18 to 39 have high blood pressure, with levels well above normal, according to a new study. Even school-aged children are affected, with more than 14 percent of people aged 8 to 19 having high blood pressure, according to the study, presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions in Chicago.
“The prevalence of hypertension in young adults is marked, and social determinants of health amplify the risk for hypertension and subsequent premature cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Bonita Falkner, chair of the AHA’s 2023 scientific statement writing committee on pediatric hypertension.
For the study, researchers used data collected between 2017 and 2020 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study took into account young adults’ blood pressure readings, along with five factors that influence health, including poor education, low income, lack of health insurance, food insecurity and little or no employment.
“Social determinants of health are the social conditions that arise from where people are born, live, learn, work and grow up,” said researcher Thomas Alexander, a medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
More than 20 percent of American adults have hypertension
The study found that nearly 23 percent of young adults have high blood pressure and are more likely to be uninsured, food insecure and economically challenged than older adults. According to the researchers, these factors greatly influenced their ability to control their blood pressure.
The results showed that adults with two or more unmet social needs were about 80 percent more likely to have untreated blood pressure and about 70 percent more likely to not have their blood pressure under control.
“Young adults with social needs and high blood pressure need more support to reach blood pressure goals,” Alexander said in an AHA news release. “Our study highlights that addressing these social determinants through targeted public health strategies is essential to improving outcomes and preventing long-term complications of heart disease and stroke in this vulnerable population.”
Nearly 9 percent of children suffer from hypertension
Most concerning, researchers said, was that nearly 9 percent of children ages 8 to 19 had high blood pressure, according to guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Young people who have high blood pressure are more likely to have high blood pressure as adults, which puts them at higher risk for heart disease and stroke,” said Dr. Ahlia Sekkarie, a heart disease and stroke epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It was observed that about 14 percent of boys had high blood pressure and almost 7 percent had high blood pressure, compared to 3 and 4 percent of girls, respectively.
What causes hypertension in children?
According to experts, high blood pressure was more common in obese children and therefore their rates of high blood pressure increased with age.
Ways to lower blood pressure levels
Some ways to keep your blood pressure levels within the normal range, without medication, include:
- Lose extra weight and take care of your waist
- Exercise regularly
- Eat a healthy and balanced diet
- Reduce salt and sodium in your food
- Quit smoking and drinking alcohol
- Regulate sleep
- Relieve stress
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