Emergence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors From Mild Obesity in Japanese Elementary School Children
- Masao Yoshinaga, MD1,
- Koji Sameshima, MD2,
- Michihisa Jougasaki, MD1,
- Hideki Yoshikawa, MD1,
- Yuji Tanaka, MD1,
- Jun Hashiguchi, MD2,
- Hirofumi Tahara, MD2,
- Takeo Ichiki, MD2,
- Shinichiro Shimizu, MD2 and
- Kazuhiko Nakamura, MD1
- 1National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cardiovascular Center, Kagoshima, Japan
- 2Kagoshima City Medical Association, Kagoshima, Japan
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Masao Yoshinaga, MD, Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Kyushu Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama-cho 8-1, Kagoshima, 892-0853, Japan. E-mail: m-yoshi{at}q-jun2.hosp.go.jp
Clustering of individual cardiovascular risk factors, such as central obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, together known as metabolic syndrome, is largely confined to obese populations in both children and adults (1,2). The underlying pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome is thought to be related to insulin resistance (3).
In Asian countries, especially Japan, obesity-associated disorders arise in mildly to moderately obese adults (4,5). The association between mild obesity in children and individual risk factors in Asian countries is not well defined. The purpose of the present study is to determine the prevalence of, and sex differences in, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, key features of metabolic syndrome, and assess whether risk of these factors is associated with mild obesity in Japanese elementary school children.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Subjects were elementary school children aged 6–12 years who were screened as having a percent relative body weight (%RBW) ≥35% (6). A total of 863 children (561 boys, 302 girls) participated in a screening program for comorbidity of obesity conducted in 2002 and 2003 by the Kagoshima City Board of Education and Kagoshima City Medical Association, Japan. Of these, 754 obese children (490 boys, 264 girls) were included in the present study. One hundred nine subjects were excluded: 9 subjects (6 boys, 3 girls) were excluded because they had normal %RBW, and 100 subjects (65 boys, 35 girls) were excluded because of incomplete information. For 146 subjects (93 boys, …
