Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents is increasing globally and the age of onset is gradually decreasing. MetS is associated with serious health problems and presents an early risk for adult morbidity and mortality. From 2014–2019, we investigated the relationship between MetS and health behaviors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and nutrition education in Korean adolescents (boys: 1235, girls: 1087, age: 13–18 years) based on household income; the relationship with hand grip strength was also evaluated. The prevalence of MetS was 8.8% in boys and 5.1% in girls; in the lowest income households, the risk increased ~1.5-fold for boys and ~4-fold for girls, whereas risks of smoking and alcohol use increased 1.81 vs. 2.34 times, and 2.34 vs. 2.37 times for boys and girls, respectively. In adolescents with the weakest grip strength, the risk of MetS increased 9.62 and 7.79 times in boys and girls, respectively. Girls lacking nutrition education exhibited a 1.67-fold increased risk of MetS, but this was not significant in boys. Low household income increased the risk of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption in both sexes, and together with low hand grip strength, was an important predictor for developing MetS.
Highlights
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as a cluster of factors that increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes, including increased waist circumference, high systolic blood pressure, high triglyceride (TG) levels, elevated fasting blood sugar, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels [1,2,3]
To investigate the relationship between health behaviors related to household income and the prevalence of MetS, 2322 adolescents aged 13–18 years who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHNS) from 2014 to 2019 were included in this study
Low household income increased the risk of unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption in both boys and girls, and was an important determinant of MetS risk along with low hand grip strength
Summary
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as a cluster of factors that increase the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes, including increased waist circumference, high systolic blood pressure, high triglyceride (TG) levels, elevated fasting blood sugar, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels [1,2,3]. Adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged environments are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, which is thought to increase the prevalence of MetS, but previous studies alone have limitations in explaining the relationship between them. This study investigated the effect of the relationship between household income, HGS and health behavior on the prevalence of MetS in Korean adolescents. It hypothesized that adolescents from low income households would exhibit a higher prevalence of MetS and a higher risk of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption than adolescents with high household income
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