@article{ajhr2013116,
author={{OBA, Owoeye and OA, Olawale and BA, Tella and JN, Ajuluchukwu and SRA, Akinbo},
title={Prevalence of Hypertension and Pre-hypertension in Male Adolescent Football: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study of Nigerian Players},
journal={American Journal of Hypertension Research},
volume={1},
number={1},
pages={26--28},
year={2013},
url={http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajhr/1/1/6},
abstract={<b>  </b><b>Background:</b> Hypertension (HTN) has been reported as the most common cardiovascular (CV) disorder observed in competitive athletes. However, information on the prevalence of HTN and pre-HTN among adolescent male football players is not well documented. This study assessed the prevalence of point and sustained HTN and pre-HTN in male adolescent footballers in Lagos, Nigeria. The distribution of CV risk factors among players was also evaluated. <b>Methods:</b><b> </b>A cohort of 706 male adolescent players of a youth football league in Lagos, Nigeria were studied. Their blood pressures and anthropometric indices were measured using standard protocols at a pre-participation screening. Players identified as hypertensive (i.e. point HTN ¨C defined as HTN based on 1 assessment derived from the mean of two measurements) were invited for follow-up assessment a week after initial assessment to detect sustained HTN. Data were presented using descriptive statistics. <b>Results:</b> The mean age of players was 17.7 ¡À 1.1 years (range = 14 ¨C 19 years). The prevalence of point HTN and pre-HTN was 24.8% and 47.3% respectively, while the prevalence of sustained HTN and pre-HTN was 13.9% and 51.7% respectively. Hypertension (24.8%) and family history of a CV disease (5.1%) were the most prevalent CV risk factors among players at the pre-participation screening. <b>Conclusion: </b>This study reveals that HTN and pre-HTN are prevalent among male adolescent Nigerian footballers. Urgent public health action is needed to address the situation in order to fore-stall or attenuate the implications of adolescent HTN in these competitive athletes.},
doi={10.12691/ajhr-1-1-6}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}