Abstract: Objective: To investigate the association between body composition and blood pressure in children. Design: Systematic review/Meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted computer searches in four Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP and CBM), as well as four international databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO) from inception to August 8, 2023. We included longitudinal cohort studies examining the relationship between body composition and childhood blood pressure. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in the included studies. We summarized the results quantitatively and qualitatively. Main outcome measures: Association between body composition and childhood hypertension. Results: A total of 9 longitudinal cohort studies were included, investigating the longitudinal relationship between body composition and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in children. Seven of these studies reported the association of fat mass-related indicators with blood pressure in children, showing a positive correlation between childhood fat mass percentage and blood pressure. However, conclusions regarding other fat mass indicators were inconsistent. Two studies reported on the relationship between non-fat mass and childhood blood pressure with inconsistent findings. Three studies reported a positive correlation between fat mass and the occurrence of high systolic and diastolic blood pressure in childhood, although the risk of hypertension may be negatively correlated with neonatal fat mass. Conclusion: The percentage of body fat in children is positively correlated with both diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Body composition has a significant impact on blood pressure in children.

Key words: Children, Body composition, Fat mass, Muscle mass, Blood pressure, Systematic review