Body measures according to physical activity, as predictors for elevated blood pressure among male college students, Minia, Upper Egypt

Adolescents have high and increasing rates of excess body weight and hypertension. Social stress and 
lack of physical activity are involved as risk factors for many cardiovascular diseases as hypertension. 
The aim of the study is to evaluate the differences of body measures between physical education and 
medical male students after 6 months of study in Minia University, Upper Egypt, and to know the 
most predicting measures associated with blood pressure elevation in both groups. A cross sectional 
study was performed with a sample of 850 male students (50% medical students and 50% physical 
education students), ranging between 18 and 19 years old. Anthropometric data was collected, 
including weight, stature, midarm, midchest, waist, and hip circumferences, also skinfold thickness of 
subscapular, abdominal and suprailiac regions. Body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR) and 
waist-stature ratio (WSR) were calculated. All anthropometric measurements indicating that 
overweight were higher in medical than physical education students, including BMI (24.5±5.2 kg/m2 
to 23.2±4.2 kg/m2), with significant level (p<0.05). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 
higher in medical students (SBP= 121.9±14 mmHg, DBP= 79.9±8.8 mmHg), than physical education 
students (SBP= 117.7±8.5mmHg, DBP= 75.4±6.3mmHg). Midarm circumference, midchest 
circumference, lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM) in medical students, while the hip circumference 
and subscapular skinfold in physical education students were the most valuable predictors for elevated 
blood pressure.