Table 15 Significant Difference of Mean Prevalence of Systolic Blood Pressure in terms of Body Mass Index BMI classificati on Pre

test Post test Mean differen ce T stat P(T<= t) onetail t Critic al onetail Normal BMI Abnormal BMI 140.77380 130.02976 95 19 10 10.74 11.1 0 13.6 1 2.64E -08 1.63E -10 1.75 1.77 Reject Null Hypothe sis Significant Decision Interpretati on

140.95588 130.95588 24 24

Table 15 showed the hypothesis testing of systolic blood pressure among respondents with Normal BMI and Abnormal BMI. Based from Table 15, the mean of the systolic blood pressure before and after drinking celery in respondents with normal BMI is 10.74 while 10 in patients with abnormal BMI. This shows that systolic decreases after taking celery more than among respondents with Normal BMI. Looking at the value of P(T<=t) one-tail which is equal to 2.6494E-08 in respondents with Normal BMI and 1.62961E-10 in respondents with Abnormal BMI which are both less than 0.05. From this, we can conclude at 5% level of significance that we have sufficient evidence that celery intake will decrease the systolic blood pressure among respondents with normal and abnormal BMI.

As shown in the table 15 there is a significant difference between the blood pressure among the persons with normal and abnormal BMI, according to the study of Roopa (2011), there was a positive correlation between body mass index and heart rate, systolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure and pulse blood pressure. Results showed there was a statistically significant increase in heart rate, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in obese subjects when compared to non-obese in all age group. Moreover, another study according to Phil (1959) stated that height and weight were related and in seeking the true relationship between blood pressure and weight, or bulk, of the body, proper heed must be paid to variation in height among individuals. Analysis showed a positive correlation between blood pressure and body weight, other factors being held constant. Obesity (judged by the thickness of subcutaneous fat) had no apparent influence on blood pressure except in so far as it affected the total body weight. In addition, Humayun (2009) showed a consistence relationship between BMI and hypertension within age groups in both male and females. And concluded that higher trend of hypertension with increasing BMI. In young females it was noted that with a shift from normal BMI the incidence of hypertension was very high. In their study, total of 1006 adult male and female volunteers were the subject of present research and were categorised in terms of their ages. BMI was determined from weight and height; the subjects were grouped as normal, overweight and obese. Hypertension was determined from the measure of blood pressure. In our study, we concluded that there is greater decrease in the mean diastolic blood pressure after taking celery of the respondents whose BMI are normal than the overweight and obese. Overweight respondents having less likely to decrease in mean systolic blood pressure while the normal BMI were likely to have more signficant effect in diastolic blood pressure.

Therefore, obesity and hypertension may likely affect the celery in lowering the diastolic blood pressure.

Table 16 Significant Difference of Mean Prevalence of Diastolic Blood Pressure in terms of Body Mass Index BMI classificatio n Pre test Post test Mean differenc e T stat P(T<=t ) onetail t Critica l onetail Normal BMI Abnormal BMI 92.57 3 91.45 8 85.44 1 85.62 5 5.83 7.16 7.4 4 7.3 1 2.44E06 8.69E07 1.74 1.77 Reject Null Hypothesi s Significant Decision Interpretatio n

Table 16 showed the hypothesis testing of diastolic blood pressure among respondents with Normal BMI and Abnormal BMI. Based from Table 16, the mean of the diastolic blood

pressure before and after drinking celery in respondents with normal BMI is 7.13 while 5.83 in patients with abnormal BMI. This shows that diastolic decreases after taking celery more than among respondents with Normal BMI. Looking at the value of P(T<=t) one-tail which is equal to 2.44299E-06 in respondents with Normal BMI and 8.69136E-07 in respondents with Abnormal BMI which are both less than 0.05. From this, we can conclude at 5% level of significance that we have sufficient evidence that celery intake will decrease the diastolic blood pressure among respondents with normal and abnormal BMI.

According to Narkiewicz (2006), Obesity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but this requires that obesity is combined with hypertension. In overweight and obese subjects, the cardiovascular risk is not significantly increased unless hypertension is present. While obese subjects are prone to hypertension, hypertensive subjects also appear to be prone to weight gain. Both the Framingham and Tecumseh studies have shown that future weight gain is significantly greater in hypertensive patients than in normotensive subjects, suggesting that even normal weight hypertensives are at a high risk of developing obesity . Therefore, the relationship between obesity and hypertension might be described as a two-way street, implying individual susceptibility to both conditions or common environmental factors. Furthermore, Mungreiphy (2011) said that there was a correlation analysis between BMI and BP showed significant positive correlations between them. When the diastolic blood pressures among different BMI categories were evaluated, it was found that diastolic blood pressure increased with increasing BMI from lowest BMI to the highest BMI category. Odds

ratio showed that BMI is a significant predictor of high systolic and diastolic BP. Similar findings have been reported in other studies. While Underweight subjects were less likely to have high blood pressure than those who were in normal BMI category. Overweight or obese subjects were more likely to have significantly higher blood pressure than those with normal BMI in all the three stages of prehypertension, stage I hypertension, and stage II hypertension. In our study, we concluded that there is greater decrease in the mean systolic blood pressure after taking celery of the respondents whose BMI are normal than the overweight and obese. Overweight respondents having less likely to decrease in mean systolic blood pressure while the normal BMI were likely to have more signficant effect in systolic blood pressure. Some of the studies also show that the relationship between obesity and hypertension which may affect celery in lowering the systolic blood pressure.