The aim of the experiment is to determine whether obesity or smoking influences blood pressure or not.
Hypothesis
Obesity is one of the factors influencing increase of systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Nowadays, obesity is a big problem among mankind especially in well-developed countries. The statistics show that in this countries (e.g. USA, UK) majority of people faces cardiovascular problems.
Is it rather due to unhealthy lifestyle or inappropriate diet? This question is difficult to answer, but probably the mixture of these factors causes so many diseases. The earliest the disease is determined, the greater chances of total healing. So, to investigate cardiovascular problems measuring of blood pressure is in order. Than, further investigations or therapy can be subscribed to individual beings.
These problem is no longer typical for elderly but to youth as well. The teenagers should also visit doctors and check their health conditions.
Theoretical background
Blood pressure is the force developed by blood pushing against the blood vessels. The systolic pressure is produced by contraction of ventricles ( the closer of bicuspid valves) and the diastolic is the pressure in arteries (after closing of semi-lunar valves).
The normal pressure for a healthy young person is 120 over 80 mm Hg.
The pressure is affected by:
- cardiac output,
- resistance to blood flow,
- general state of blood vessels and heart.
Narrowing and hardening of arteries, weakening of artery walls, damage of kidneys are examples of problems. There are many factors that influence state of cardiovascular system.
For example obesity causes narrowing of lumen of blood vessels, due to accumulation of cholesterol. But, how to determine who is obese? The Body Mass Index is to help, due to determined intervals of appropriate ratio of mass divided by square of height. The formula is given below:
The good ratio value is between 19-25. If someone exceeds 25, than there is higher probability of obesity and cardiovascular problems. The value below 19, on the other hand means that someone has underweight.
These intervals are presented on the graph 1, and there is also small table nr1. below.
Graph 1. The presentation of Body Mass Index intervals showing some tendencies.
Table 1. BMI values and their interpretation.
The other way to determine obesity is to measure the waist size. Size greater than 102 cm signifies as well the obesity, hence possible health problems. But these indicators vary for males and females. Females have lower value (circa 85 cm), and males have more than 100, as it was given above. Also the waist size that vary in each BMI interval for people can increase blood pressure. Hence the waist size should e analyzed in the BMI intervals.
However, there are also other factors causing cardiovascular problems. Drinking great amounts of alcohol, smoking or drinking coffee.
Coffee increases blood pressure, as it was found out. But, the constant high pressure is unhealthy due to intensive heart work. And the heart problems are more possible.
Smoking a cigarette, on the other hand, can repeatedly produce an immediate, temporary rise in the blood pressure of 5 to10 mm Hg. Steady smokers, however, may have a lower blood pressure than nonsmokers. The reason for this is that the nicotine in the cigarettes causes a decrease in appetite, which leads to weight loss, lowering the blood pressure.
Alcohol, in same way increases blood pressure from 2 to 5 times more than without drinking.
Although in case of each factor it is impossible to determine the amount required to cause a disease or just problems. In most cases there are so many disease causing factors mixed that the amount can not be determined.
