Abstract
Behavioral interventions to modify diet, activity, and emotional stress constitute the recommended initial treatment for mild essential hypertension in children and should accompany pharmacological therapy in more severe cases (Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children, 1987; referred to hereafter as the Second Task Force). The first concern is to ensure that the blood pressure evaluation process itself does not generate excessive anxiety and negative self-labeling on the part of child and family (Bloom & Monterossa, 1981; Bergman & Stamm, 1967). If, upon repeated assessment, the child’s blood pressure is found to be significantly elevated, this can usually be presented as a timely cue to start changing life-style patterns that could lead to health problems later on. Behavioral assessment and intervention efforts then focus on modifying diet habits, increasing physical activity, and reducing excessive emotional stress.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Berchtold, P., Jorgens, V., Kemmer, F. W., & Berger, M. (1982). Obesity and hypertension: Cardiovascular response to weight reduction. Hypertension, 4(Suppl. III), III-50-III-55.
Bergman, A. B., & Stamm, S. J. (1967). The morbidity of cardiac nondisease in schoolchildren. New England Journal of Medicine, 276, 1008–1013.
Bloom, J., & Monterossa, S. (1981). Hypertension labeling and sense of well-being. American journal of Public Health, 71, 1228–1232.
Boekeloo, B. O., Mamon, J. A., & Ewart, C. K. (1987). Identifying coronary-prone behavior in adolescents using the Bortner self-rating scale. Journal of Chronic Diseases 40 785–793.
Bray, G. A. (1986). Effects of obesity on health and happiness. In K. D. Brownell & J. Foreyt (Eds.), Handbook of eating disorders(pp. 3–44 ). New York: Basic Books.
Brownell, K. D. (1982). Obesity: Understanding and treating a serious, prevalent, and refractory disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 820–840.
Brownell, K. D., Delman, J. H., Stunkard, A. J. (1983). Treatment of obese children with and without their mothers: Changes in weight and blood pressure. Pediatrics, 71, 515–523.
Brownell, K. D., Marlatt, G. A., Lichtenstein, E., & Wilson, G. T. (1986). Understanding and preventing relapse. American Psychologist, 41, 765–782.
Clarke, W. R., Woolson, R. F., & Lauer, R. M. (1986). Changes in ponderosity and blood pressure in childhood: The Muscatine study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 124 195–206.
Dennison, D., Frauenheim, K. A., & Izu, L. (1983). The DINE microcomputer program: An innovative curricular approach. Health Education, March—April, 44–47.
Dietz, W. H. (1983). Childhood obesity: Susceptibility, cause and management. Journal of Pediatrics, 103, 676–686.
Epstein, L. H. (1986). Treatment of childhood obesity. In K. D. Brownell and J. P. Foreyt (Eds.), Handbook of eating disorders(pp. 159–179 ). New York: Basic Books.
Epstein, L. H., Wing, R. R., & Valoski, A. (1986). Family-based behavioral weight control in obese young children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 4, 481–484.
Epstein, L. H., Wing, R. R., Koeski, R., & Valoski, A. (1985). A comparison of lifestyle exercise, aerobic exercise, and calisthenics on weight loss in obese children. Behavior Therapy, 16, 345–356.
Ewart, C. K., Burnett, K. F., & Taylor, C. B. (1983). Communication behaviors that affect blood pressure: An A-B-A-B analysis of marital interaction. Behavior Modification, 7, 331–344.
Ewart, C. K., Harris, W. L., Iwata, M. M., Coates, T. J., Bullock, R., & Simon, B. (1987b). Feasibility and effectiveness of school-based relaxation to lower blood pressure. Health Psychology, 6, 399–416.
Ewart, C. K., Harris, W. L., Zeger, S., & Russell, G. A. (1986). Diminished pulse pressure under mental stress characterizes normotensive adolescents with parental high blood pressure. Psychosomatic Medicine, 48, 489–501.
Ewart, C. K., Peyrot, M., & Harris, W. L. (1989). Cardiovascular risk in adolescents: Contributions of negative interpersonal emotion syndrome and parental high blood pressure. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Unpublished manuscript.
Ewart, C. K., Taylor, C. B., Kraemer, H. C., & Agras, W. S. (1984). Reducing blood pressure reactivity during interpersonal conflict: Effects of marital communication training. Behavior Therapy, 15, 473–484.
Falkner, B., Onesti, G., Angelakos, E. T., Fernandes. M., &Langman, C. (1979). Cardiovascular response to mental stress in normal adolescents with hypertensive parents. Hypertension, 1, 23–30.
Ferguson, J. M., Marquis, J. N. & Taylor, C. B. (1977). A script for deep muscle relaxation training. Diseases of the Nervous System, 38, 703–708.
Frank, G. C., Farris, R. P., Ditmarsen, P., Voors, A. W., & Berenson, G. S. (1982). An approach to primary preventive treatment for children with high blood pressure in a total community. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1, 357–374.
Henry, J. P., & Stephens, P. M. (1977). Stress, health, and the social environment: A sociobiologic approach to edicine. New York: Springer.
Julius, S., Weder, A. B., & Eagan, B. M. (1983). Pathophysiology of early hypertension: Implication for epidemiologic research. In F. Gross & T. Strasser (Eds.), Mild hypertension: Recent advances. New York: Raven Press.
Martin, J. E., & Dubbert, P. M. (1982). Exercise applications and promotion in behavioral medicine: Current status and future directions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 1004–1017.
Paffenbarger, R. S., Wing, A. L., Hyde, R. T., & Jung, D. L. (1983). Physical activity and incidence of hypertension in college alumni. American Journal of Epidemiology, 117, 245–257.
Reynolds, W. M., & Coats, K. I. (1986). A comparison of cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation training for the treatment of depression in adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 653–660.
Stamler, R., Stamler, J., Riedlinger, W. F., Algera, G., & Roberts, R. H. (1978). Weight and blood pressure: Findings in hypertension screening of 1 million Americans. Journal of the American Medical Association, 240, 1607–1610.
Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children. (1987). Report of the second task force on blood pressure control in Children-1987. Pediatrics, 79, 1-25.
Voors, A. W., Berenson, G. S., Dalferes, E. R., Webber, L. S., & Shuler, S. E. (1979). Racial differences in blood pressure control. Science, 204, 1091–1094.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ewart, C.K., Cunningham, S. (1990). Elevated Blood Pressure. In: Gross, A.M., Drabman, R.S. (eds) Handbook of Clinical Behavioral Pediatrics. Applied Clinical Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0505-7_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0505-7_19
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7840-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0505-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive