Four-year longitudinal associations of physical activity, waist circumference, and blood pressure in UK adolescents.

Hypertension in adolescents is a growing health problem that is often overlooked. Baseline and changes in waist circumference over a 4-year period predicted development of systolic blood pressure, while baseline and changes in physical activity predicted development of diastolic blood pressure. Physical activity and waist circumference have a prognostic value in predicting changes in blood pressure in adolescents and could be valuable in planning programmes to prevent hypertension in similar communities and reduce the risk of future adult hypertension.