Oct 09, 2015 01:31 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The risk of high blood pressure and other health related issues can be predicted in childhood, according to a recent study.

Researchers from New Zealand's University of Otago were able to identify a number of factors in early life that increased the odds of being in a high risk blood pressure group, The Business Standard reported.

"These included being male, having a family history of high blood pressure, being first born and being born lower birthweight," Dr. Reremoana Theodore, lead author of the study, said in a statement. "This new information is useful for screening purposes to help clinicians identify young people who may develop high blood pressure later in adulthood,"

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from more than 1,000 people born in Dunedin in 1972 or 1973 from birth to the present, NDTV reported.

Researchers also found that having a higher body mass index (a measure of overweight and obesity) and cigarette smoking over time were associated with increasing blood pressure levels over time, especially for individuals in the higher blood pressure groups.

"Encouraging lifestyle changes beginning early in life that include the maintenance of a healthy body weight, weight reduction and stopping smoking may help to lower blood pressure levels over time, particularly among those individuals on a trajectory to developing hypertension," Richie poulton, Denedin study director, said in a statement.

Those individuals in the higher blood pressure groups were also more likely to have other negative health related conditions by age 38 years including higher blood cholesterol levels.

"Our findings can be used to inform early detection, targeted prevention and/or intervention to help reduce the burden associated with this silent killer," Theodore said.

The findings are detailed in the journal Hypertension.

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