New York, March 29 (IANS): Have you got your obese kid enrolled in a gym, yoga centre or a fat prevention programme? Even if this may not give best results on reducing body fat, be sure that this would lower your kid's blood pressure.

One of the serious health consequences of obesity is elevated blood pressure (BP) in children.

Earlier researches have found that high BP in children usually follows them into adulthood, carrying with it a wide range of possible negative consequences.

Now, a meta-analysis of published studies of the effect of child obesity intervention programmes on BP has found that whether such efforts prevented obesity or not, many of them reduced BP in children.

It also found that such programmes promoted both healthy eating and physical activity among kids.

“Of the 28 obesity interventions with complete data that we analysed, 13 (46 percent) had a favourable effect on both adiposity and BP and 11 interventions (39 percent) had a significant effect on the reduction of BP, even if they did not affect adiposity,” informed lead author Youfa Wang from University at Buffalo.

It is important to identify obesity intervention programmes that can help children develop healthy lifestyles and keep BP at an optimal level because this helps them avoid many long-term health consequences, he added.

The researchers examined more than 130 studies published between 1985 and 2013 that were conducted in high-income counties worldwide.

Wang and his research team now aim to assess the additional benefits of obesity prevention programmes for children and to develop the most effective programmes possible.

The latest research was published in the journal Circulation.