The prevalence of high blood pressure and its determinants among Tunisian adolescents

Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Associated Factors among Adolescents in Eastern Sudan: A Community-Based Study

BACKGROUND

Elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the main health problems among adolescents globally. However, there are limited data on hypertension among adolescents in Sudan. This survey aimed to investigate the prevalence of elevated blood pressure/hypertension and associated factors among adolescents in Gadarif City, Sudan.

METHODS

A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted during a three-month period (August to October 2023) in Gadarif City, Eastern Sudan. A face-to-face interview questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information. Adolescents' anthropometric (weight and height) measurements were taken, and blood pressure was measured. Multivariate binary and linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

A total of 384 adolescents (178 [46.4%] boys and 206 [53.6%] girls) were included in the study. The median (interquartile range, IQR) of the age was 14.0 (12.1-16.1) years, and that of the body mass index (BMI) was 16.9 (15.2-20.0) kg/m2. Thirty-four (8.9%) adolescents had hypertension/elevated blood pressure (≥95th percentile). After adjusting for confounders, multivariable binary regression analysis showed that age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.42) and BMI (AOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.20) were associated with hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Approximately one in ten adolescents in Eastern Sudan was hypertensive. Adolescents with higher age and BMI were at higher risk for hypertension. Maintaining a healthy BMI during adolescence is recommended to promote adolescents' health.

Co-occurrence of problematic facebook and video game use: prevalence and association with mental health disorders among adolescents

INTRODUCTION

The rapid proliferation of technology and its impact on adolescents' lives have raised concerns about addictive behaviors and its potential consequences, including behavioral and mental health problems. This study investigates the prevalence and risk factors associated with the co-occurrence of Problematic Facebook Use and Problematic Video game Use among Tunisian adolescents.

METHODOLOGY

We conducted a cross-sectional study in the urban area of Sousse governorate in Tunisia during the 2018/2019 school year. We selected a representative sample of high school students enrolled in public educational institutions in Sousse. Data collection was performed through a self-administered structured questionnaire, which gathered information on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, and mental health disorders. Problematic Facebook Use was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Bergen Scale, while Problematic Video Game Use was measured using the 21-point Lemmens Scale, which was translated into Arabic. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS program (version 20).

RESULTS

We enrolled a total of 1342 high school students in our study, of whom, 63.2% were female with a mean age of 17.5 ± 1.44 years. The prevalence of Problematic Facebook Use and Problematic Video Game Use was  28.3% and  13% respectively. Regarding the co-occurrence of the two problematic behaviors, 31.3% of participants faced a singular addictive behavior, either related to problematic Facebook or video game use, while 5% had both addictive behaviors simultaneously. In a multivariate analysis, risk factors for the co-occurrence of Problematic Facebook and Video Game Use, in decreasing order of significance, included severe depression (AOR = 4.527; p = 0.003), anxiety (AOR = 4.216; p = 0.001), male gender (AOR = 4.130; p < 0.001), problematic internet use (AOR = 3.477; p = 0.006), as well as moderate depression (AOR = 3.048; p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

Our study found that Problematic Facebook and Video Game Use were prevalent among Tunisian adolescents. The co-occurrence of these disorders is strongly linked to male gender, problematic internet use, depression, and anxiety disorders. These findings underscore the urgency of implementing tailored and effective awareness and prevention programs to address these emerging challenges.

Prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among adolescents in Sudan: a cross-sectional school-based study

OBJECTIVES

There is an increasing rate of elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, in children and adolescents worldwide, including Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Only a few data on adolescent hypertension in SSA, including Sudan, have been published. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among adolescent schoolchildren (within the ages of 10 to 19 years) in Sudan.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted from June to September 2022.

SETTINGS

Six randomly selected schools in Almatamah, River Nile State, Sudan.

PARTICIPANTS

Adolescent schoolchildren (within the ages of 10 to 19 years).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Sociodemographic information. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were performed in accordance with the standard procedures. An adjusted logistic regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Of the 384 enrolled adolescents, 166 (43.2%) and 218 (56.8%) were boys and girls, respectively. The median (IQR) age and body mass index (BMI) were 15.2 years (14.0‒16.4 years) and 18.5 kg/m2 (16.4‒21.5 kg/m2), respectively. Of the 384 adolescents, 240 (62.5%) and 255 (66.4%) had educated mothers and fathers (≥secondary), respectively. 38 adolescents (9.9%) had hypertension (≥95th percentile). The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that age, sex and maternal educational level were not associated with hypertension. Paternal educational level according to secondary education attainment (adjusted OR (AOR), 2.72; 95% CI 1.36‒5.46) and increasing BMI (AOR, 1.12; 95% CI 1.02‒1.20) were associated with hypertension.

CONCLUSION

1 in 10 adolescents in northern Sudan was hypertensive. Low paternal educational level and increasing BMI were significantly associated with hypertension. The introduction of interventional nutritional programmes at early ages is needed to ensure that adolescents are healthy in their present and later lives. To sustain such programmes, involving all educational parties at early stage is essential.

Assessing Antecedents of Restaurant's Brand Trust and Brand Loyalty, and Moderating Role of Food Healthiness

The purpose of this research was to apply DINESERV to a food brand: Shake Shack. Six sub-dimensions (e.g., taste, healthiness, employee service, price fairness, ambience, and convenience) were adopted. This study used brand trust and brand loyalty to explain attributes. This research additionally assessed the moderating impact of healthiness on the relationship between taste and brand loyalty. For data collection, this study used Amazon Mechanical Turk. The main instrument of this research is a survey. The number of valid observations was 353. Confirmatory factor analysis and a correlation matrix were used to ensure the convergent and discriminant validity of measurement items. Structural equation modeling was employed for hypothesis testing. Plus, Hayes process macro model 1 was employed to test the moderating effect of healthiness. Results indicated that brand trust was positively associated with taste (p < 0.05), employee service (p < 0.05), and ambience (p < 0.05), while brand loyalty was positively associated with taste (p < 0.05), healthiness (p < 0.05), price fairness (p < 0.05), ambience (p < 0.05), and brand trust (p < 0.05). However, the convenience of casual restaurants appeared as a non-significant attribute to account for both brand trust and brand loyalty. The results also revealed that healthiness negatively moderates the relationship between taste and brand loyalty (p < 0.05). This study sheds light on the literature by demonstrating the accountability of DINESERV to casual dining customer behavior. Also, this research presents information for the assistance of brand management in the domain of casual dining sector.

Validation and Reliability of Lifestyle Instruments for Indonesian Adolescents with Hypertension Family History: A Rasch Model

BACKGROUND: There are lifestyle changes among adolescents in this modern era, such as less physical activities, because many activities can be carried out using modern technology, unhealthy food habits such as eating junk food, canned food and beverages, and preserved fruits and vegetables, poor sleeping habits, stress, and smoking behavior. These lifestyles are harmful and lead to cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and hypertension, especially in adolescents with hypertension history in the family. AIM: This study aimed to assess the validation and reliability of healthy lifestyle instruments for Indonesian adolescents with a family history of hypertension. METHODS: This study is a survey research conducted from July 2021 to February 2022 in South Sumatera, Indonesia. The subjects were adolescents with a family history of hypertension and recruited using purposive random sampling. Adolescents aged 10–18 years old who returned signed parental consent forms, gave written assent to participate, and completed the questionnaire were included in the study. The questionnaire was consisted of three sections, Section I contained internal factors, Section II related to external factors, and Section III related to healthy lifestyle. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee Universitas Padjadjaran Bandung. Winsteps software was used to analyze the validity, reliability, unidimentionality, and rating scale. RESULTS: Obtained 103 valid question items with OUTFIT values 0.5 < mean square < 1.5; −2.0 < ZSTD < 2.0; and the point measure correlation (Pt Mean Corr) value is in the range of 0.32 < Pt Measure Corr < 0.85. The reliability value of respondents and instruments is 0.88, with a ’Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.95. The raw variance explained by the measured value is 72.3%, and all unexplained variance values are <15%. CONCLUSIONS: Healthy lifestyle instruments are valid and reliable, so it is feasible to measure the healthy lifestyle of Indonesian adolescents with a family history of hypertension. This instrument can measure the success of a program or intervention in changing a lifestyle in adolescents at risk of developing hypertension, especially adolescents with a family history of hypertension. We suggest further research involving more participants in a broader area. We hope the healthy lifestyle instruments can be used in a standardized manner for all regions of Indonesia.

Secular trends of the prevalence of emaciation, overweight, and obesity among school-aged children in Yunnan province, 1985–2019: A serial cross-sectional surveillance study in China

Objective

To understand the trends of nutrition in children and adolescents, which may further help to prevent and control chronic diseases in younger ages.

Methods

The Chinese National Surveys on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH) in Yunnan is a survey of growth conditions, physical fitness, and health status of students in Yunnan and uses a series of complex multistage stratified sampling of seven prefectures consisting of 16 counties. Sampling schools were held constant over 35 years. The participants were randomly selected among 7–18 aged students. We used data from 1985, 1991, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2019 CNSSCH of Yunnan. According to body mass index (BMI) criteria of National Working Group for Obesity in China (WGOC-BMI criteria), a participant's nutrition (emaciation, overweight or obesity) was defined. This study is based on survey data from 129,520 participants in 1985 (n = 14,683), 1991 (n = 4,894), 1995 (n = 6,673), 2000 (n = 9,751), 2005 (n = 23,461), 2010 (n = 22,889), 2014 (n = 23,003) and 2019 (24,166).

Results

Since 1985, the trends of emaciation over 35 years were decreasing. Regardless of gender, area, and age, the prevalence of obesity and overweight were increased. The average annual growth rate of overweight and obesity was quicker in rural areas and boys than in urban areas and girls. In Yunnan, emaciation, overweight, and obesity disparity in children were common phenomena, with differences in areas and gender.

Conclusion

Children in Yunnan faced the triple burden of malnutrition (emaciation, overweight, and obesity). We should take comprehensive policies and effective intervention measures to decrease the rate of nutrition deficiencies in school-aged children.