The Association Between Obesity Measures and Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Korean Adolescents Aged 10–18 Years

Introduction: Childhood obesity is strongly linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood, endangering the global healthcare system. No single tool for detecting MetS is suitable for all pediatric populations. This study aimed to investigate the association between obesity measures and MetS in Korean children and adolescents. Method and Materials: The data were obtained from 1663 children and adolescents aged 10–19 years (771 girls) who participated in the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHtR) were included as obesity measures. Fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and resting blood pressure were included as metabolic risk factors. MetS was defined as the clustering of metabolic risk factors such as elevated fasting blood glucose, elevated mean arterial pressure, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: Regardless of the obesity measures used, obese children and adolescents were more likely to have a clustering of metabolic risk factors compared to their non-obese counterparts: BMI-based obesity (odds ratio, OR=4.151, 95% confidence interval, CI=2.763~6.238, p<0.001), WC-based obesity (OR=1.917, 95% CI=1.066~3.446, p=0.010), and WHtR-based obesity (OR=2.160 and 95% CI=1.203~3.878, p=0.003). A receiver operating curve analysis showed that BMI (area under the curve, AUC=0.849, 95% CI=0.8270.871) outperformed WC (AUC=0.833, 95% CI=0.8090.856) and WHtR (AUC=0.794, 95% CI=0.7670.821) in detecting the presence of MetS. Conclusion and Recommendation: Study findings suggest that obese teenagers are more likely to have metabolic syndrome than non-obese teens. Concerning accuracy, convenience, and ease of use and calculation, BMI is the best screening tool for detecting MetS in Korean children and adolescents.