{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T13:14:44Z","timestamp":1767705284590,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767657600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Hypertension in young adulthood is increasingly recognized as a precursor to future cardiovascular disease. Early identification of modifiable risk factors, such as dietary habits, lifestyle behaviors, and psychological indicators, is critical for prevention. This study aimed to examine the elevated clinic blood pressure and associated factors in 19-year-old individuals in Serbia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2019 Fourth National Health Survey. A total of 212 participants underwent blood pressure measurement, anthropometric assessment, and completed standardized questionnaires on diet, physical activity, depressive symptoms, and sociodemographic characteristics. Blood pressure was classified according to ESC\/ESH guidelines. Associations with elevated blood pressure were assessed using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Most participants had optimal or normal blood pressure, while 18.9% had elevated blood pressure, including high-normal and Grade I\u2013II hypertension. Elevated blood pressure was more prevalent among males and was associated with depressive symptoms. Nutrition status was significantly associated with elevated blood pressure, and some dietary habits like consumption of pure fruit or vegetable juices and the intake of processed meat products. Other socioeconomic factors, eating habits and physical activity were not significantly correlated. In multivariate logistic regression, elevated arterial blood pressure was significantly associated with consuming pure fruit or vegetable juices less than once per week (OR = 3.239; 95% CI: 1.413\u20137.427) and with consuming processed meat products several times per week in comparison to the daily consumption (OR = 0.325; 95% CI: 0.130\u20130.812), while no other variables remained statistically significant. Conclusions: Clinically elevated arterial blood pressure is present in a substantial proportion of 19-year-olds. Early lifestyle interventions targeting nutrition and psychological health may prevent progression to hypertension and reduce long-term cardiovascular risk.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina62010119","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T12:35:47Z","timestamp":1767702947000},"page":"119","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Elevated Blood Pressure and Risk Factors in 19-Year-Olds in Serbia: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"62","author":[{"given":"Marija","family":"Sekulic","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6740-0215","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Milos","family":"Stepovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marija","family":"Sorak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4204-9606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Mijailovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Statistics and Informatics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6632-7976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zlata","family":"Rajkovic Pavlovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maja","family":"Vulovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Olivera","family":"Radmanovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Branimir","family":"Radmanovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6538-1068","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jelena","family":"Vuckovic Filipovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jagoda","family":"Gavrilovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bojana","family":"Jovanovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Care Service, Military Medical Academy, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia"},{"name":"Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bojana","family":"Spasic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Military Medical Academy, 1100 Belgrade, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9494-881X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nevena","family":"Folic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vesna","family":"Rosic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Embriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tode","family":"Dragicevic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Pristina, 38220 Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8677-3425","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vladan","family":"Markovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2025, November 13). 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