Background: Body Mass Index (BMI) has been described as a significant predictor of Blood Pressure (B.P) but few studies have demonstrated this association in our environment. The study aims to determine the pattern of relationship between BMI and blood pressure in our environment.
Methodology: Two thousand and ninety six (2096) students in two Universities located in Enugu, South East Nigeria completed the study. The blood pressure, weight and height were measured. Body mass index was calculated as weight in Kilograms divided by height in meters square (kg/m2).
Results: More females than males were underweight (9.4% versus 4.7%). More males than females were overweight (8% versus 4%).Obesity occurred more in males than females (7% versus 0.9%). Blood pressure parameters increased significantly with BMI (p < 0.0001) with higher values in males than in females; (the mean systolic blood pressure 124.88 +/- 10.97 mmHg versus 114.93 +/- 6.82 mmHg, P < 0.0001; the mean diastolic blood pressure was 80.1 +/- 7.2 mmHg versus 73.36 +/- 6.82 mmHg, p = 0.035 and the mean arterial Pressure (MAP) 95.02 +/- 7.78 mmHg versus 87.2 +/- 9.58 mmHg, p < 0.0001).
Conclusion: A significant relationship between BMI and Blood pressure was demonstrated among university students in South East Nigeria.