Statistics Canada has published a new Health Facts Sheets, entitled Hypertension among children and youth, 2007-2019. In it, they say the prevalence of hypertension in children and youth has increased since 2007.
The report found that 3.5 per cent of Canadian children between six and 17 years of age had hypertension during the study period. They say the percentage was higher in children between six and 11 years of age – 5.6 per cent had hypertension, compared to only 1.6 per cent of youth between 12 and 17 years of age. Boys and girls are equally affected by hypertension, according to the study.
Obesity and sedentary lifestyles
“The prevalence of hypertension in children and youth has been on the rise worldwide since 1994, alongside increases in obesity and sedentary lifestyles among children and teenagers, suggesting a potential relationship,” the report’s researchers state. Dietary habits, physical activity, genetics and underlying medical conditions were all cited as factors contributing to the phenomenon. “The consequences of hypertension in children can be severe if left untreated.”
Clinical guidelines used to assess hypertension in children and youth were updated in 2020, they continue. “This fact sheet provides an overview of the prevalence of hypertension in children and youth using the new guidelines,” they add. Under the older guidelines established in 2004, 2.6 per cent of children and youth had hypertension. Using 2017 guidelines 3.8 per cent of children had hypertension.
“This illustrates that the use of different clinical definitions results in differing estimates,” they write. “The takeaway is that researchers, policy makers, clinicians and others interested in understanding hypertension trends among children and youth in Canada should be aware that caution should be used when comparing estimates from different sources.”
