Association Between Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure In Healthy Adults At Al-Ramadi City

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the association between body mass index and blood pressure among apparently healthy adults at Al-Ramadi City west of Iraq.Methods: A Hospital-based cross sectional study of 250 apparently healthy adults was conducted during the period from the 1st of February to the 1st of October 2009 at the consultation Unit of Al-Ramadi Teaching Hospital. Tools of this study included self-administrated questionnaire, general physical examination, anthropometric and blood pressure measurement. Data were analyzed by using the statistical package for social science (SPSS program version -14). A p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: A highly statistically significant association between body mass index (BMI) and increasing blood pressure (BP) was observed.Conclusion: Obesity and overweight are among the several risk factors for the development of hypertension. Findings of this study support the recommendation of life style modification and weight reduction for obese or overweight subjects