CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK AMONG MONTENEGRIN URBAN CHILDREN IN RELATION TO OBESITY AND GENDER.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Discrepant literature findings necessitate further investigation into factors influencing cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in children.
• Understanding the interplay of gender, overweight/obesity, and CMR is crucial for early health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the impact of gender and overweight/obesity on cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in Montenegrin urban schoolchildren.
• To identify predictors of high CMR in this specific pediatric population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 201 Montenegrin schoolchildren (aged 7-12 years).
• Nutritional status assessed using International Obesity Task Force criteria.
• CMR calculated as a composite score of glucose, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and hypertension z-values.

Main Results:

• Overweight and obese boys exhibited significantly higher CMR compared to normal-weight boys (p<0.001).
• The association between overweight/obesity and CMR was less pronounced in girls (p<0.05).
• Body mass index was an independent predictor of high CMR (OR=1.06; 95% CI=1.02-1.10).

Conclusions:

• Overweight and obesity are linked to elevated CMR in young children, with a more pronounced effect observed in boys.
• Gender is a significant factor modulating the relationship between excess weight and cardiometabolic risk in pediatric populations.