Association between WHO cut-offs for childhood overweight and obesity and cardiometabolic risk

Area of Science:

• Pediatric endocrinology
• Cardiovascular health
• Metabolic disorders

Background:

• Childhood overweight and obesity are growing global health concerns.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) provides standardized BMI-for-age references for classification.
• Identifying early cardiovascular risk in children is vital for preventative strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between childhood overweight/obesity and cardiovascular risk markers.
• To utilize WHO BMI cut-offs for classifying children's weight status.
• To compare metabolic and vascular risk factors across different BMI categories.

Main Methods:

• Classification of 149 children (aged 8-18) into normal weight, overweight, and obese groups using WHO BMI-for-age criteria.
• Comparison of blood pressure, lipid profiles, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and uric acid levels across BMI groups.
• Statistical analysis including ANOVA, tests of linearity, and calculation of odds ratios for adverse biochemical markers.

Main Results:

• 41% of children were classified as obese, 22% as overweight, and 37% as normal weight.
• Significant linear differences in systolic blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, HOMA-IR, and uric acid were observed across BMI groups.
• Obese children showed significantly higher odds for hypertension, high insulin, HOMA-IR, and dyslipidemia compared to normal-weight children. Overweight children also exhibited increased risks.

Conclusions:

• WHO BMI-for-age cut-offs effectively identify children with elevated metabolic and vascular risks.
• Childhood overweight and obesity are strongly associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.
• Preventing overweight and obesity in children is essential for mitigating future cardiovascular disease risk.