Relationship between pulse pressure and body mass index in active-duty Royal Thai Army personnel in Thailand

Background Elevated pulse pressure (PP) is a robust independent predictor of cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between PP and body mass index (BMI) was presented in a few studies. However, the findings were inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to identify the association between elevated PP and BMI using a large sample of active-duty Royal Thai Army (RTA) personnel. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted through the use of the dataset obtained from the annual health examination database of RTA personnel in Thailand in 2022. BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m 2 was classified as obesity I, whereas BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m 2 was classified as obesity II. Elevated PP was defined as PP ≥ 50 mmHg. Multivariable linear regression and log-binomial regression models were utilized for determining the association between elevated PP and BMI. Results A total of 62,113 active-duty RTA personnel were included in the study. The average BMI was 25.4 ± 3.8 kg/m 2 , while the average PP was 50.1 ± 11.2 mmHg. Compared to individuals with normal weight, the β coefficients of PP and BMI were 1.38 (95