CHICAGO, Sept 6, 2018 -- Kids with food insecurity, meaning they lack good access to nutritional foods, were more likely to have high blood pressure than kids with secure access to food, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Joint Hypertension 2018 Scientific Sessions.
"High blood pressure -- even in childhood -- matters," said study author Andrew Michael South, M.D., assistant professor of pediatric nephrology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "As a kid, if you have high blood pressure, you're at much higher risk of having high blood pressure as an adult -- as young as in your 20's or early 30's. And hypertension sets the stage for other bad health problems because it impacts the heart and kidneys."
In adults, it's well established that food insecurity is tied to socioeconomic status and has many health consequences, but in children it's less defined, South said.
South and colleagues studied available information on food insecurity and blood pressure from 2007 to 2014 in 7,215 children, ages 8 to 17 years, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They identified children 13 years and older with high blood pressure if they had a systolic reading of 120 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure of 80 mmHg or higher. For children younger than 13, high blood pressure was defined as systolic or diastolic blood pressure at or above the 90th percentile of what is normal for a child's age, sex and height, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' hypertension guideline released last year.
The researchers found:
- More than one-fifth, or 1,460 of the 7,125 children, were food insecure.
- More than 12 percent of all the children had high blood pressure.
- Among food insecure children, 14.4 percent had high blood pressure, compared to 11.6 percent of food secure children.
- When the researchers considered other factors, such as obesity, they found that food insecurity still increased the odds that a child would have high blood pressure.
"Food insecurity affects about 40 million Americans, including 6 million children and adolescents. Food insecurity can lead to poor diet quality, including increased salt intake," South said. "We know that people who consume higher salt diets have a higher risk of developing and maintaining high blood pressure than those who eat normal amounts of salt."
Food insecurity is an under-recognized contributor to health disparities, according to South.
"Future research looking at interventions to increase access to more nutritious foods could have important implications on population health," he said. "In order to show a causative relationship, a longitudinal study following children over time would be next."
###
Co-authors are Deepak Palakshappa, M.D., M.S.H.P., and Callie Brown, M.D., M.P.H. Author disclosures are on the abstract. There was no outside funding for this study.
Additional Resources:
- Photos available on the right column of the release link https://newsroom.heart.org/news/children-with-food-insecurity-at-risk-for-high-blood-pressure?preview=461b0619bac1384057f9639ea57457a8
- For high blood pressure tools and information visit heart.org/hbp.
- For the latest heart and stroke news, follow us on Twitter @HeartNews #Hypertension18.
Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations and health insurance providers are available at https://www.heart.org/en/about-us/aha-financial-information.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke - the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.