OBESITY CRISIS FUELS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IN CHILDREN
The number of children with high blood pressure has doubled in 20 years as obesity rises, a Lancet study has found.
The proportion of children under 19 with high blood pressure increased from 3.2 per cent in 2000 to 6.2 per cent in 2020.
Researchers looked at 443,000 children from 21 countries and found that those with obesity were more than seven times as likely to have high blood pressure as children of a healthy weight.
About 19 per cent of children and teenagers with obesity had the condition, also called hypertension, compared to 2.4 per of children in the normal weight range.
Extrapolating the results from the study, published in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, would suggest that 114 million children have high blood pressure around the world.
The international research team, which included academics from the University of Edinburgh and Zhejiang University in China, said obesity was a substantial driver behind the increase in hypertension in children.
Dr Peige Song, a researcher from Zhejiang University, said the rise was “driven largely by lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diets, decreased physical activity, and the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity”.
“Hypertension in children and adolescents has emerged as a substantial public health concern. The analysis showed that children and adolescents with obesity are nearly eight times more likely to develop hypertension,” she said.
“This is likely due to obesity-associated complications, such as insulin resistance and vascular changes, which disrupt normal blood pressure regulation.”
Parents play pivotal role in prevention
High blood pressure typically develops later in life and increases the risk of suffering from heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
New NHS figures for England have found that more than one in 10 children in their first year of primary school – aged four and five years old – are now obese.
This rises to 22.2 per cent of children aged 10 and 11 in their final year of primary school, according to data from the National Child Measurement Programme.
Dr Song said: “Parents play a pivotal role in preventing and managing high blood pressure in children.
“Promoting healthy habits, such as a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains while minimising salt and sugar intake, can substantially reduce the risk of hypertension.”
She said parents should encourage “regular physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviours, such as excessive screen time”, while also monitoring children’s blood pressure regularly if there is a family history of the condition.
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Prof Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said it was “deeply concerning”.
He added: “Elevated blood pressure in childhood often persists into adulthood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke later in life.
“While genetics and kidney disease play a role, the sharp rise in childhood hypertension is most likely driven by the growing prevalence of childhood obesity.”
However, he said the “good news is that obesity-related high blood pressure can be reversed”.
He added: “We need bold Government action to help prevent obesity in the first place. This includes expanding restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy products and exploring further measures to drive the food industry to make our everyday foods healthier.”
2025-11-12T23:35:16Z
