Mysuru: District health authorities in Mysuru found that about 7% of schoolchildren from Class 1 to 12 suffered from hypertension. The district health authorities, along with the school education and literacy department, identified that around 7% of children aged 6 weeks to 18 years, studying in anganwadi centres, govt-run schools and aided schools, were found to have high blood pressure during screening conducted under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) for 2025-26.Officials said follow-up care and awareness measures are being planned.A mobile health team involving 2 doctors, a pharmacist, and 1 nurse, with the help of local anganwadi activists, govt school teachers, and accredited social health activists (ASHAs), screened 46.3 lakh children, adolescents and adults in anganwadi centres and schools in each primary health centre limits across the state between April and Nov 2025. It detected 5.7 lakh children suffering from hypertension across the state, including 28,466 children in Mysuru district. Boys were more affected than girls, according to the screening.Health experts attributed the trend to increased consumption of salt, sugar and ultra-processed foods, along with a sedentary lifestyle among children. Along with these factors, excessive use of mobile phones, stress, and family history also resulted in an increase in hypertension among children between 6 months and 18 years old, officials said.High blood pressure was usually found among people between 50 and 60 years, but now it has started to be found among children, adolescents and adults, said Dr Chandrashekhar, medical officer, Sosale Community Health Centre in T Narasipura taluk.Even though hypertension is not considered a serious health problem, there is an urgent need to raise awareness among children and the public to stop encouraging children to consume junk food, as it results in heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and bodily dysfunction.Speaking to TOI, district health officer Dr PC Kumaraswamy said about 7% of children were affected by hypertension during the screening conducted by the RSBK team in Mysuru district. “As hypertension is considered a silent killer, and is also identified as 1 of the major causes of non-communicable disease growing as an epidemic, the state health department arranged treatment, prescribed medicines at the nearest primary health centres (PHCs), and suggested lifestyle changes for diagnosed children,” he added.Directions were also given to officials of the department of education and literacy to raise awareness among school-going children about a healthy lifestyle, avoid consumption of junk food, and encourage good food habits, exercise and other mitigating factors.
