The Prevalence of Insulin Resistance and the Associated Risk Factors in a Sample of 14–18-Year-Old Slovak Adolescents

Abstract

The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors has increased in Slovakian adolescents as a result of serious lifestyle changes. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and the associations with cardiometabolic and selected lifestyle risk factors in a sample of Slovak adolescents. In total, 2629 adolescents (45.8% males) aged between 14 and 18 years were examined in the study. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure (BP), and resting heart rate were measured; fasting venous blood samples were analyzed; and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-insulin resistance (IR) was calculated. For statistical data processing, the methods of descriptive and analytical statistics for normal and skewed distribution of variables were used. The mean HOMA-IR was 2.45 ± 1.91, without a significant sex differences. IR (cut-off point for HOMA-IR = 3.16) was detected in 18.6% of adolescents (19.8% males, 17.6% females). IR was strongly associated with overweight/obesity (especially central) and with almost all monitored cardiometabolic factors, except for total cholesterol (TC) and systolic BP in females. The multivariate model selected variables such as low level of physical fitness, insufficient physical activity, breakfast skipping, a small number of daily meals, frequent consumption of sweetened beverages, and low educational level of fathers as significant risk factors of IR in adolescents. Recognizing the main lifestyle risk factors and early IR identification is important in terms of the performance of preventive strategies. Weight reduction, regular physical activity, and healthy eating habits can improve insulin sensitivity and decrease the incidence of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Elevated White Blood Cell Count Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Insulin Resistance among Non-Diabetic Taxi-Motorbike Drivers Working in Cotonou, Benin

“…In contrast, the risk of IR increased significantly between patients in the first and third tertiles of BMI (>24.2 kg/m 2 ). This shows IR occurs more significantly who demonstrated that the prevalence of IR in adolescents was strongly associated with overweight and obesity [27]. Similarly, Elrayess et al reported a linear relationship between IR and BMI in a cross-sectional study on 150 young healthy females from Qatar [28].…”

Epidemiological Impact of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight and Obese European Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The 15 primary studies included in our systematic review were all cross-sectional studies [ 13 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], and no new articles were included after the snowballing process.…”

“…The studies included reported pediatric MetS data regarding European countries; specifically, 34% ( n = 5) were conducted in Spain [ 19 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], 13% ( n = 2) in Romania [ 21 , 22 ], 13% ( n = 2) in Italy [ 13 , 24 ], 13% ( n = 2) in Poland [ 17 , 18 ], 13% ( n = 2) in Slovakia [ 23 , 25 ], 1 (7%) in Lithuania [ 18 ], and 1 (7%) in the Czech Republic [ 20 ].…”

Ghrelin and Obestatin Levels as a Novel Marker in Iraqi Obese Children

“…Many studies revealed that cardiovascular mortality and morbidity raise with BMI 18 . Although BMI is useful for determining obesity, it is not, precise enough to detect early fat gathering and early cardiovascular hazard 19 . Although, the most important aim of protective pediatrics is to check children with higher cardiovascular risk as soon as possible 18 .…”