Abstract
The Chinese inland, where low child obesity and overweight rates were reported in earlier studies, has recently experienced rapid economy changes. This may impact children’s health. In the present study, we investigated the obesity rate, metabolic health status, and their impacts on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among children from Yueyang, an inland city of China. We found that the obesity rate was about 5% for both 7- and 11-year olds. Overweightness rates were 9.5% and 11.5% for the 7- and 11-year olds, respectively. Clinical and laboratory examinations revealed significant differences among different weight groups in the 11-year old volunteers, which were absent in the 7-year olds. Further statistical analysis showed that: age, BMI, blood pressure, triglyceride level, and metabolic abnormality were positively correlated to carotid IMT; triglyceride level, obesity, male, and the number of metabolic abnormalities were independent risk factors for NAFLD in these children. Our study suggests that: childhood overweightness and obesity are now epidemic in Yueyang, which have contributed to increased carotid IMT and may also increased NAFLD incidents; and serum triglyceride level is a critical factor in the development of childhood NAFLD. Thus, childhood metabolic health warrants further vigorous research in the inland of China.
Highlights
Economic development impacts every aspect of human life including public health
206 pupil volunteers from different weight groups were further examined for blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid-profile including high density cholesterol (HDL-C), low density cholesterol (LDL-C), cholesterol (CHOL), triglyceride (TG), plus biochemical analysis on transaminase activities, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
In the 7-year old children, BMI, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) were significantly different among different weight groups, while SBP
Summary
Economic development impacts every aspect of human life including public health. Since implementing the “Reform and Open-up” policy in China, in 1979, the country has changed tremendously, on the economic front. The Chinese economic boom first occurred in the coast cities and in big cities during the 1990s, which led to improvements of living standards among the people. Such improvements often accompany changes of life-style and dietary habit ( increased meat consumption), which, in turn, unleashes a great impact on public health. Since joining the WTO (World Trade Organization) in 2001, the economic boom has spread even deeper into the vast Chinese inland, where a majority of Chinese resides but no current data are available regarding their children’s health status
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