Clinical evaluation and follow-up of body mass and blood pressure in pre-elementary school children: program review.

While administrators of pre-elementary school programs throughout the country recognize the importance of screening and monitoring body mass and hypertension in early childhood populations, typically, few efforts are undertaken to systematically, retrospectively, and critically review them. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of measures, reflective of body mass and blood pressure, collected from a targeted group of 10 urban pre-elementary schools in the Midwestern region of the country, was therefore undertaken. Overweight, obesity, and blood pressure readings suggestive of pre-hypertension and hypertension were found to be more prevalent among both boys and children whose school and residences were located in low-income neighborhoods. More surprising, however, was the lack of documentation of notations in their health records about their BMI status, blood pressure status, and/or need for re-assessment, referral, or follow-up.