Correlation between body mass index and blood pressure among first-year undergraduate medical students in Punjab: A cross-sectional study

Obesity and hypertension are emerging public health concerns among young adults. Body mass index (BMI) is an important indicator of obesity and is associated with elevated blood pressure. Medical students are exposed to lifestyle risk factors such as academic stress, irregular dietary habits, physical inactivity and altered sleep patterns, which may influence both BMI and blood pressure. The study was conducted to find the correlation between BMI and blood pressure among first-year undergraduate medical students. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in MBBS and Allied Healthcare programs at Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Amritsar. Height, weight and blood pressure was recorded using standard methods and BMI was calculated. The mean BMI was 23.46 ± 4.55 kg/m2. The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 118.19 ± 9.47 mmHg and 75.99 ± 9.60 mmHg, respectively. Most participants had normal blood pressure (64.7%) while 32.7% were pre-hypertensive, and 2.7% (8 participants) had stage 1 hypertension (although participants with previously diagnosed hypertension were excluded at enrolment). Higher BMI was associated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was observed between BMI and SBP (rho = 0.674, p<0.001) and between BMI and DBP (rho = 0.681, p<0.001). The present study demonstrated a significant moderate positive correlation between BMI and blood pressure among first-year medical students. Early lifestyle modifications and regular health screening may help to reduce the future cardiovascular risk.