Eating Behavior and Risk Factors of Hypertension Among High School Students in Ratchathewi District Bangkok

Abstract

Hypertension is a silent disease that results in various complications and can become a life-threatening factor. However, it can be prevented by changing behavior regarding sodium consumption, exercise, and proper weight control. This research aims to study nutrition status, body composition, food consumption behaviors of eating foods high in sodium, and the relationship between risk factors for hypertension in high school students. This research is survey research. The sample was 455 high school students in Ratchathewi District, divided into 229 males and 226 females, with an average age of 16.71 years. The results showed blood pressure higher than usual, 17.1% hypertension grade 1, 2% hypertension grade 2, and 1.3% hypertension grade 3. The nutritional status for weight-for-age found that most students had a normal weight range of 54.7 %. The nutritional status, weight-for-height, and height-for-age, found that most students were in the normal range 56% and the normal height range 78%. Body composition found that the percentage of fat in females had an average of 27.28, which was overweight, which was higher than that of males, which had an average of 18.43. The sodium consumption of regular hypertension students was at the level of more than 2,000 milligrams per day in 87.8%. The family history of hypertension is highly correlated with hypertension in students (r=0.93).