Objectives: To examine the importance of somatic disproportion rather than absolute values of leg height and trunk height for predicting risk of high blood pressure among adolescents.
Methods: Adolescent girls (9-16 years old) from high (HSE) and low socio-economic (LSE) classes were examined (n = 1036 and n = 1040, respectively) in a cross-sectional study, for skeletal growth (height and sitting height), adiposity [weight, body mass index (BMI) and body fat] and blood pressure levels.
Results: Girls from LSE class were thin, short and undernourished compared to those from HSE class (average age-adjusted BMI, 16.47 +/- 2.61 versus 19.77 +/- 3.85, P < 0.000). A high prevalence of high systolic blood pressure (HSBP) was a problem in girls of the HSE (9.7 versus 4.4%, P < 0.001) class, while a high prevalence of high diastolic blood pressure (HDBP) was seen in girls of the LSE (15.3 versus 2.7%, P < 0.001) class. Further, in the HSE class, the prevalence of HSBP was higher only among girls in the third tertile of BMI and body fat, while in the case of the LSE class the prevalence of HDBP was higher (7-11%) even in the lowest tertile of these measures. The odds ratio (OR) for HDBP (2.28) in the LSE class and that for HSBP (2.27) in the HSE class were significantly higher for girls in the lower tertile of leg height to height ratio. This was also true in the case of leg height to sitting height ratio.
Conclusions: Our findings showed that rather than absolute leg or trunk length, somatic disproportion may be a relevant biomarker associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, especially in an adolescent population.