Background: The purpose of this study was to characterize cardiovascular risk factors in a rural pediatric population by body mass index (BMI) category and the presence of the metabolic syndrome.
Methods: Data on 13,018 children and adolescents (aged younger than 20 years) from West Virginia and Ohio in 2005-2006 were obtained from the C8 Health Project to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity and the metabolic syndrome, which was then compared with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006 data. Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed by age-standardized and sex-standardized BMI category (<85th, 85th-95th, >95th percentiles) and the presence of metabolic syndrome, defined as the presence of three or more of the following criteria: BMI >97th percentile, triglycerides >110 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL, and fasting blood glucose >110 mg/dL.
Results: The population was 51% male and 95% white. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 38% and metabolic syndrome was 4.6% in the C8 population, compared with a prevalence of 30% and 3.4%, respectively, within the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey population. In our Appalachian population, a significant adverse trend across BMI categories was observed for lipids, insulin, inflammatory markers, white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein. Significant differences in these risk factors were seen among those with metabolic syndrome compared with those without metabolic syndrome.
Conclusion: The increased prevalence of overweight/obesity and the metabolic syndrome along with the increase in cardiovascular risk factors in Appalachian children and adolescents, suggests a cohort that may develop earlier onset and possibly increased severity of cardiovascular disease and other complications associated with metabolic syndrome and obesity.
Keywords: Appalachian; body mass index; cardiovascular; metabolic syndrome; pediatric population; risk factors.