Study of clinical parameters and laboratory evaluation of metabolic syndrome in adolescents

Introduction: Worldwide incidence of obesity is rising. Genetic predisposition, urbanization, sedentary lifestyle, television watching, food habits, and lack of exercise are contributing factors. They result in obesity-related morbidity like metabolic syndrome, stroke in young, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1000 adolescents of both genders, aged 12-19 years in three schools of Pimpri, Pune, after obtaining approval from Institutional Ethical Committee. The criterion used to diagnose metabolic syndrome was International Diabetes Federation definition. The Chi-square test was used to explore the association between metabolic syndrome and various predictors. A P value of 0.05 was accepted as the level of statistical significance. Results: In the study sample, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 16/1000. Females were more likely to have metabolic syndrome (male:female = 7:9). Factors associated were body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), birth weight, skin fold thickness, body fat percentage, faulty dietary habits, and sedentary lifestyles (P < 0.05). Among all, the components of metabolic syndrome, raised triglyceride (75%), and fasting blood sugar level (75%) were more prevalent than high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (44%) and hypertension (37.5%). Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome was found to be more prevalent in females of age group 16-19 years, among the obese population, associated with birth weight, BMI, and WHR