ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine if the triglycerides and glucose index (TyG) can be used as a marker for insulin resistance (IR) in Argentinean schoolchildren according to age and sex. Methods: Anthropometric data, blood glucose levels, lipid profiles, and insulin levels were measured. The TyG index was defined by Ln [fasting triglyceride (mg/dL)* fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. A comparison of the ability of TyG to identify children with IR was performed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC (AUROC) curve. IR was defined as HOMA-IR > III quartile. Results: A total of 915 (528, 57.7% males) apparently healthy schoolchildren, aged 9.3 ± 2.2, were evaluated. The AUROC using the HOMA-IR > III quartile as the dichotomous variable showed that TyG was a fair marker to identify IR (0.65, 95% CI, 0.61-0.69; p < 0.01). There was a significantly higher TyG AUROC in males (0.69, 95% CI, 0.63-0.75; p < 001) than in females (0.60, 95% CI, 0.54-0.66; p < 0.01). When children were divided according to age into two groups (5.0-9.9 and 10.0-14.9-year-olds); younger children (0.64, 95% CI, 0.58-0.69; p < 0.011) and older children (0.62, 95% CI, 0.55-0.68; p = 0.01) had a similar and fair AUROC. However, when children were divided by age and sex, females older than ten had a non-significant AUROC (0.53, 95% CI, 0.42-0.63; p = 0.61). The TyG index compared with HOMA-IR had low sensitivity and specificity, ranging from 0.62 to 0.56. Conclusion: The TyG index had a fair AUROC with low sensitivity and specificity, indicating poor discrimination in identifying IR in apparently healthy Argentinean children. The ability to use TyG for screening purposes seems limited in Argentinean schoolchildren.
ABSTRACT
Background and Objective: Studies have suggested that birth weight (BW) is associated with body mass index (BMI), but its association with waist circumference (WC) in children should be further explored. To determine the association between central obesity (OB) in 9-year-old Argentinean schoolchildren and high BW. Methods: Schoolchildren (n = 2567, 1157 males) aged 8.7 ± 2.1 years from 10 elementary schools in 5 states in Argentina were examined between April 2017 and September 2019. Mothers submitted children's BW information. Pediatricians assessed anthropometric measures and blood pressure (BP). Central OB was defined for children as WC ≥90th percentile for age and gender. Results: The prevalence of overweight (OW) and OB (OW/OB) was 42.7% (1095) and that of central OB was 34.8% (856) in 9-year-old children. The prevalence of low BW (<2500 grams) and high BW (>4000 grams) was 6.6% (n = 169) and 7.4% (n = 190), respectively. BW (3.25 vs. 3.36 kg), weight (31.38 vs. 42.88 kg), BMI (17.29 vs. 22.25 kg/m2), BMI z-scores (z-BMI; 0.25 vs. 1.63), systolic BP (96 vs. 98 mmHg), and diastolic BP (59 vs. 60 mmHg) were significantly lower in 9-year-old children without central OB than in those with central OB, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis using central OB as the dependent variable showed that high BW [odds ratio, 1.98 (95% confidence interval 1.44-2.73)] was associated with central OB, adjusted for age, gender, and systolic and diastolic BP. Conclusion: This study shows that central OB in 9-year-old children was associated with high BW. Future longitudinal studies should be performed to confirm this finding. Clinical Registration number, IATIMET-08102019.
