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The effect of body mass index on blood pressure varies by race among children.

High blood pressure or hypertension, although mostly associated with adults, can affect children too. Children as young as infants can have problems associated with blood pressure.

In adults, as well as in children, obesity is thought to be associated with the blood pressure of the person.

A new study has found that how obesity affects black children is different from how it affects their white counterparts. According to the study, the impact of obesity on blood pressure is more severe in black children, than in those white children who may be equally overweight.

For the study, researchers examined how age and body weight affected blood pressure in children at an obesity clinic.

The researchers found that although the age and body weight were similar among black and white patients, blood pressure in black children was significantly higher when compared to that of the white children.

The blood pressure in black children was found to b 8 percent higher than white children, on average, suggesting that the impact of obesity on blood pressure was much more in black children.

The researchers could not determine a cause behind the phenomenon and said that more studies were needed to better understand if this was a race-specific effect. An understanding of the same would lead to better care and more targeted prevention strategies against high blood pressure in black children, the researchers said, according to Medical Xpress.

The study was presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.