about 30% of children in Alaska have pediatric hypertension which is high blood pressure in a child this is very frequently under diagnosed in children and can have serious long-term consequences blood pressure and children is not measured on the same scale as adults but rather it's based on age height and gender the largest contributing factors to high blood pressure and kids are physical inactivity being overweight and eating a diet high in salt sugar and processed foods it is best diagnosed by a 24-hour blood pressure monitor it's very important to diagnose high blood pressure in kids as it can lead to lower IQ and worse grades in school studies show that treating this can improve grades by one grade-point an increase i q-- by 10 points long-term treatment for high blood pressure and children begins with increasing physical activity and dietary changes medications may also be helpful to lower blood pressure if you think your child may have high blood pressure please discuss having this checked with their health care provider [Music]