Associations of childhood BMI traits with blood pressure and glycated haemoglobin in 6-9-year-old Samoan children

Introduction: Prevalence and risk factors for elevated glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and blood pressure (BP) are poorly understood among Pacific children. We examined associations of HbA1c and BP in 6-9 year-olds with body mass index (BMI) at ages 2, 5, and BMI velocity between 2-9 years in Samoa.

Methods: HbA1c (capillary blood) and BP were measured in n = 410 Samoan children who were part of an ongoing cohort study. Multilevel models predicted BMI trajectory characteristics. Generalized linear regressions assessed associations of childhood characteristics and BMI trajectories with HbA1c and BP treated as both continuous and categorical outcomes. Primary caregiver-reported childhood characteristics were used as covariates.

Results: Overall, 12.90% (n = 53) of children had high HbA1c (≥5.7%) and 33.17% (n = 136) had elevated BP. BMI at 5-years and BMI velocity were positively associated with high HbA1c prevalence in males. A 1 kg/m² per year higher velocity was associated with a 1.71 (95% CI: 1.07, 2.75) times higher prevalence of high HbA1c. In females, higher BMI at 5-years and greater BMI velocity were associated with higher BP at 6-9 years (95% CI: 1.12, 1.40, and 1.42, 2.74, respectively).

Conclusion: Monitoring childhood BMI trajectories may inform cardiometabolic disease screening and prevention efforts in this at-risk population.