Abstract

Introduction: It is well known that blood pressure and cardiovascular damage are related and how cardiovascular mortality is modified by the concomitance of other cardiovascular disease factors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to correlate the nutritional state, blood pressure and waist circumference in sedentary women.

Methods: Descriptive correlational research. The sample consisted of 17 adult women, non-practitioners of physical exercise, who lives in a townhouse in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil. The body composition variables measured were total body mass (BM), height (HT), waist circumference (WC). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the anthropometric measures obtained. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were measured on the day anthropometric measurements were collected using an OMRON HEM-7200 digital electronic sphygmomanometer. The volunteers should be at rest, seat in calm place for 15 minutes. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used, and p-value was 95% (p<0,05).

Results: It could be observed a significative and positive correlation between nutritional state and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. That means that 37% of the total variation of SBP and 28% of the DBP are explained by the BMI in this group. On the other hand, no correlation between waist circumference and blood pressure was observed (WC x SBP: r= 0.40; p= 0.11 and WC x DBP: 0.28; p= 0.26).

Conclusion: Considering the relation between overweight and BP disorders, at this group, there was a significant positive correlation between nutritional state and blood pressure both SBP as well as DBP. So, the BMI is still a reasonably good measure of general adiposity and a significant risk factor for hypertension.

Keywords

height, sedentary behavior, women, risk factors