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Cardiometabolic Health in Asian American Children
Julian Sethna1, Kristal Wong1, Kevin Meyers1
1Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA.
Insights
Asian American children have lower obesity but worse cardiometabolic health than NHW children. US-born Asian American children show poorer cardiometabolic profiles than foreign-born peers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Cardiometabolic Health
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Compares cardiometabolic health between Asian American and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) children.
- Examines cardiometabolic health variations among Asian American children based on birthplace (US-born vs. foreign-born).
Approach:
- Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018.
- Included children aged 6-17 years, self-identified as non-Hispanic Asian or NHW.
- Employed regression models adjusted for age, sex, income, food insecurity, smoke exposure, and BMI z-score.
Key Points:
- Asian American children had lower BMI z-scores and obesity odds than NHW children.
- Asian American children exhibited higher HOMA-IR, uric acid, dyslipidemia, microalbuminuria, and hyperfiltration odds.
- US-born Asian American children had worse lipid profiles (higher non-HDL, triglycerides; lower HDL) and higher HOMA-IR and uric acid compared to foreign-born peers.
Conclusions:
- Despite lower obesity rates, Asian American children face higher risks for glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, and kidney-related issues compared to NHW children.
- US-born Asian American children present with poorer cardiometabolic health profiles than their foreign-born counterparts.
Background:
The aim was to compare cardiometabolic health between Asian American children and Non-Hispanic White (NHW) children as well as to compare cardiometabolic health among Asian American children by birthplace.
Methods:
Children aged 6-17 years enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011-2018 who self-identified as non-Hispanic Asian and NHW were included. Among Asian Americans, place of birth was defined as foreign-born vs United States (US)-born. Regression models were adjusted for age, sex, household income, food insecurity, passive smoke exposure, and body mass index (BMI) z-score.
Results:
Among 3369 children, 8.4% identified as Asian American (age 11.7 years) and 91.6% identified as NHW (age 11.7 years). Compared to NHW children, Asian American children had significantly lower BMI z-scores and odds of obesity. Asian American children had higher HOMA-IR and uric acid, and greater odds of dyslipidemia, microalbuminuria and glomerular hyperfiltration compared to NHW children. Among Asian Americans, 30.5% were foreign-born. Compared to foreign-born Asian American children, US-born Asian American children had significantly higher non-HDL, triglycerides, HOMA-IR and uric acid, lower HDL, and lower odds of hyperfiltration. There were no differences in blood pressure by racial group or place of birth.
Conclusions:
Although Asian American children have lower odds of obesity, they have significantly worse glucose intolerance, higher serum uric acid levels, more dyslipidemia and more microalbuminuria compared to NHW children. US-born Asian American children have worse cardiometabolic health profiles compared to foreign-born Asian Americans.
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