Prevalence and anthropometric predictors of high blood pressure in schoolchildren from João Pessoa - PB, Brazil.

Background: Arterial hypertension (AH) belongs to the group of cardiovascular diseases with the highest mortality in the world and its onset can occur in childhood.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) in schoolchildren from public schools and its association with anthropometric indicators.

Methods: The present was a cross-sectional study, consisting of a random sample of 750 schoolchildren aged 6 to 9 years from public schools of the city of Joao Pessoa, state of Paraiba, Brazil.