Abstract
The present study aimed to describe the distribution of and to investigate the factors associated with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) values in Korean youth (10–19 years old) and young adults (20–29 years old). Data from the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2015) were used. A total of 6,418 participants (male 3,140 [53.2%]) aged 10–29 years were included in the analysis. Percentiles of HbA1c were calculated and HbA1c values were compared according to age, sex, and associated factors. The mean HbA1c values (% [mmol/mol]) were 5.42 ± 0.01 (35.7 ± 0.1) for youths and 5.32 ± 0.01 (34.7 ± 0.1) for young adults (P < 0.001). Male participants showed significantly higher HbA1c level than females (P < 0.001). When age was grouped into 5-year intervals, HbA1c was the highest in those aged 10–14 years and the lowest in those aged 20–24 years. After controlling for confounding variables, the HbA1c values of youths and male participants were significantly higher than those of young adults and female participants. The present study provides nationally representative data on the distribution of HbA1c values in Korean youth and young adults. There were significant differences in the level of HbA1c according to age and sex.
Highlights
Considering the rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in children and adolescents, and the increasing use of HbA1c as a marker of glucose metabolism, it is important to establish normative reference values for the Korean population
In the young adult group, the proportion of obesity was 23.1%, which were higher than the rates in the youth group
The fasting glucose level, HbA1c value, and the proportion of subjects with a carbohydrate intake over the recommended daily intake were lower in the young adult group than in the youth group (Table 1)
Summary
Considering the rapidly increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 DM in children and adolescents, and the increasing use of HbA1c as a marker of glucose metabolism, it is important to establish normative reference values for the Korean population. Normative studies of children and adolescents, mostly conducted in the USA, showed differences in the distribution of HbA1c values based on age; values tended to be higher during adolescence[5,8,9]. The aims of the present study were to describe the normative distribution of HbA1c values and to investigate the factors associated with HbA1c values in Korean youths and young adults, using nationally representative data
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