Waist circumference was associated with 2-year blood pressure change in community dwelling adults independently of BMI

Abstract

Objective The present study aimed to analyze the association of 2-year changes in BMI and waist circumference with changes in blood pressure (BP) in a randomized sample of community-dwelling adults. Methods A sample of 331 middle-aged and older adults (mean age of 59.6±17.3years) was randomly selected. Measurements of SBP and DBP, BMI, and waist circumference were collected at baseline and after 2-year follow-up. Chronological age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and self-reported medical diagnosis and use of medication for hypertension, diabetes, and high low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol were covariates. Multiple linear regression models were adopted for statistical analysis. Results SBP was positively associated with BMI (β=0.48, P=0.013) and waist circumference (β=0.21, P=0.005) at baseline and only with waist circumference at follow-up (β=0.20, P=0.007). DBP was positively associated with BMI (β=0.31, P=0.009) and waist circumference (β=0.12, P=0.006) values at baseline and at follow-up (BMI β=0.42, P=0.001; waist circumference β=0.18, P=0.001). Only the 2-year changes in waist circumference were associated to changes in SBP (β=0.33, P=0.013), regardless of confounding factors and BMI. Conclusion It is suggested that waist circumference is the main factor for control over the time in strategies focused on BP management in adult population.