Blood Pressure Status of youth in Accra: the role of physical activity and body mass index

Physical inactivity and obesity in adolescence predispose individuals to cardiovascular diseases in later life however research among the youth is scanty. This study explores the blood pressure (BP) levels and its associations with physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI) amongst the youth (15-24 years) of Accra. PA levels were accessed as well as Height, weight and BP was measured in 201 subjects, using the Edulink Urban Health and Poverty project questionnaire. Descriptive and chi-square analyses, multiple linear and binary logistic regression analyses are used to determine the factors influencing BP levels. There are cases of pre-hypertension among the youth in Accra though about four –fifths are normotensive. PA levels did not influence BP levels, however, higher BMI and older youth had above normal BP. This suggests the need for health measures to tackle the cases of BP increase and related consequences from becoming major public health burdens.