National Blood Pressure Screening in Children to Improve Paediatric Healthcare in South Africa

Launched by NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA · Aug 1, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The National Blood Pressure Screening in Children trial is a study aimed at understanding blood pressure in children in South Africa, especially those of African ancestry. This research is important because it will help establish normal blood pressure ranges for kids and identify how common high blood pressure, or hypertension, is in this age group. By doing this, healthcare providers will have better guidelines to manage high blood pressure in children, ultimately improving their health.

To participate in this trial, children aged 5 to 17 years can join if they have permission from their parents and can provide their own agreement to take part. However, some children may be excluded if they have certain medical conditions, use specific medications, or face challenges that make it hard for them to understand the study. Participants will have their blood pressure measured, and this information will contribute to creating more accurate health standards for children in South Africa. This trial is currently recruiting participants, and it represents an important step towards improving pediatric healthcare in the country.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • All children between ages 5-\<18 years
• • All children with voluntary assent/consent and parent's permission
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • circumstances interfere with the participant's ability to give informed consent (diminished understanding or comprehension, or any language barriers that may pose potential risk in participation under false expectations)
• • randomly selected children who choose not to participate (lack of assent/consent), even if parent's permission was received,
• • conditions that interfere with a patient's ability to follow study guidelines, e.g., the use of drugs, alcohol or tobacco products
• • ages \>18 years or under 5 years
• • Children will be excluded from the analysis for the determination of normative reference values for blood pressure and anthropometry if taking certain concomitant medication(s) that may affect their blood pressure, or any underlying disease e.g., chronic kidney disease, chronic heart disease etc. that may raise blood pressure.