ELEVATED ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN ADOLESCENCE

Physical activity (PhA) in adolescence and its influence on the arterial blood pressure (ABP) is investigated in 964 adolescents, aged 15 to 17 years. Screening of ABP is carried out and interview with the students for determining the PhA in their free time, the frequency of the physical activities and the time for active physical exercises. The results show that every second girl and third boy is not going for sport in its free time and the level of PhA in adolescents with elevated ABP is significantly lower. It is found that the level of PhA in girls with normal or elevated ABP is 2 times lower compared to that of boys. Models of PhA with high cardioprotective effect are created for the adolescent age

ABOUT ELEVATED ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURE AND THE PREDICTIVE ROLE OF SOME RISK FACTORS IN ADOLESCENCE

Screening of arterial blood pressure is carried out in 964 students (423 boys and 541 girls) aged 14 to 18 years from randomly selected schools in Sofia and Varna. The predictors of arterial hypertension in adolescence such as positive family history, increased body mass, nutrition patterns, hypokinesia and stress are studied by means of questionnaire interview. The results show that 57,4% of the adolescents with elevated systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure have positive family history. In girls, a positive family history is found out by 2,3 times more often (p <0,001). In 19,1% of the adolescents an increased body mass combined with hypokinesia (in 61,4% of the boys and in 72,8% of the girls) and non-balanced nutrition is established. Every second girl and every third boy are under distress conditions. Data of the present study show that prevention of arterial hypertension in adolescence must be carried out individually according to the predictor significance of medico-biological and behavioural risk factors