Abstract

This study was conducted to observe the relationship between diet and blood pressure for Korean(kangwha) and Nepali adolescents. 542 middle school students in Korea and 159 students in Nepal in the same age(14-15yr) group were investigated as the study subjects. Data for blood pressure as well as weight and diet were collected for the analysis. multiple regression analysis was employed to identify the influencing factors among the variables considered. As the results, the mean body weight of body weight of boys and girls in Kangwha was 54.5Kg, 50.6Kg which was 17Kg and 10Kg heavier than the weight of the Nepal students. Dietary survey result showed that there was no big difference in energy intake in Kangwha and Nepal students., Mean energy intake of Kangwha boys was 2,848kcal and that of Nepal boys was 2,720 kcal. The similar result showed significantly lower intake in other nutreints than that of Kangwha subjects whose consumption level was close to the Korean Recommended Dietary Allowances. The result of multiple regression analysis showed that weight was the greatest influencing factor on blood pressure both in Kangwha and in Nepal subjects. Nevertheless, after controlling the weight factor, there were axxociations observed between diet and blood pressure. And the relationship was stronger in case of Nepal than in Kangwha.

• Keywords: blood pressure; diet; adolescent