Child and Maternal Factors That Influence Child Blood Pressure in Preschool Children: An Exploratory Study

An estimated 80 million adults and 2 to 3 million children in the US have hypertension26,34. Diagnosed hypertension in children is rising18, but is surpassed by elevations in blood pressure readings (BPR) without diagnosed hypertension, particularly in school-age children and adolescents34. Elevated BPR on even one occasion are concerning in that they can track to adulthood15 and are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease8. Few studies36,42 have examined BPR in the preschool period (ages 3-5 years) and none have examined what factors, both child and maternal, could influence these readings.

Source: Applied Nursing Research : ANR - January 27, 2016 Category: Nursing Authors: Marti Rice, Anne Turner-Henson, Na-Jin Park, Andres Azuero, Azita Amiri, Christine A. Feeley, Ann Johnson, Thuy Lam, Luz Huntington-Moskos, Jeannie Rodriguez, Susan Williams Source Type: research