EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HYPERTENSION FROM CHILDHOOD TO YOUNG ADULTHOOD IN BLACK, WHITE, AND HISPANIC POPULATION SAMPLES

RESEARCHERS RECORDED BLOOD PRESSURE LEVELS of children and adolescents in the Bogalusa Heart Study (black and white populations) and in the Brooks County Study (Hispanic population). Hispanic children had small er stature, while whites and Hispanics tended to be fatter than blacks in childhood. In Bogalusa, black boys showed higher blood pressure le vels. Hispanic girls showed lower systolic blood pressure than the oth er ethnic groups. In cultures with a high prevalence of hypertension, such as blacks in the United States, it is important to understand the effect of environmental factors like dietary intake and electrolytes and obesity on the control of hypertension.