Blood Pressure levels of Children 6-11 Years: Relationship to Age, Sex, Race, and Socioeconomic Status, United States

This report presents the distribution of blood pressure levels of U.S. children aged 6-11 years by age, sex, and race. Data were obtained in Cycle II of the Health Examination Survey (HES), which is one of the major programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) concerned with assessingthe health status of the U.S. population. The program consists of a series of surveys in which information is obtained on a probability sample of the U.S. population through examination, interview, measurement, and testing. In Cycle II of the HES, a representative sample of all noninstitutionalized children 6-l 1 years of age in the United States was obtained. From July 1963 through December 1965, the survey staff examined 7,119 children, 96 percent of the original sample of 7,417. A description of the sampling process, program operation, and response rates has been published previous1y. The standardized examination, given during a single visit, was primarily concerned with assessing health factors related to growth and development. Additionally, measurements of visual and auditory acuity were made, and evidence of the presence of congenital abnormalities, ear-nose-throat conditions, heart disease, and neuromusculoskeletal abnormalities was sought.