Predictive Ability of Hypertriglyceridemic Waist,Hypertriglyceridemic Waist-to-Height Ratio,and Waist-to-Hip Ratio for Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Clustering Screening among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Objective Hypertriglyceridemic waist(HW),hypertriglyceridemic waist-to-height ratio(HWHtR),and waist-to-hip ratio(WHR)have been shown to be indicators of cardiometabolic risk factors.However,it is not clear which indicator is more suitable for children and adolescents.We aimed to investigate the relationship between HW,HWHtR,WHR,and cardiovascular risk factors clustering to determine the best screening tools for cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents.Methods This was a national cross-sectional study.Anthropometric and biochemical variables were assessed in approximately 70,000 participants aged 6–18 years from seven provinces in China.Demographics,physical activity,dietary intake,and family history of chronic diseases were obtained through questionnaires.ANOVA,χ2 and logistic regression analysis was conducted.Results A significant sex difference was observed for HWHtR and WHR,but not for HW phenotype.The risk of cardiometabolic health risk factor clustering with HW phenotype or the HWHtR phenotype was significantly higher than that with the non-HW or non-HWHtR phenotypes among children and adolescents(HW:OR=12.22,95%CI:9.54-15.67;HWHtR:OR=9.70,95%CI:6.93-13.58).Compared with the HW and HWHtR phenotypes,the association between risk of cardiometabolic health risk factors(CHRF)clustering and high WHR was much weaker and not significant(WHR:OR=1.14,95%CI:0.97-1.34).Conclusion Compared with HWHtR and WHR,the HW phenotype is a more convenient indicator with higher applicability to screen children and adolescents for cardiovascular risk factors.

Subjective Well-being and Family Functioning among Adolescents Left Behind by Migrating Parents in Jiangxi Province, China

We sought to identify the differences between adolescents left behind in their home villages/towns （LBA） and non-left behind adolescents （NLB） on subjective well-being and family functioning due to parental migration in south China. We used a stratified cluster sampling method to recruit middle school students in a city experiencing population-emigration in Jiangxi Province in 2010. Participants included adolescents from families with： （1） one migrant parent, （2） both parents who migrated, or （3） non-left behind adolescents （i.e., no migrant parent）. To determine predictors of subjective well-being, we used structural equation models. Adolescents left behind by both parents （LBB） were less likely to express life satisfaction （P = 0.038） in terms of their environments （P = 0.011） compared with NLB. A parent or parents who migrated predicts lower subjective well-being of adolescents （P = 0.051） and also lower academic performance. Being apart from their parents may affect family functioning negatively from an adolescent＇s viewpoint. Given the hundreds of millions of persons in China, many who are parents, migrating for work, there may be mental health challenges in some of the adolescents left behind.

Predicting Metabolic Syndrome Using Anthropometric Indices among Chinese Adolescents with Different Nutritional Status:A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study

Objective To evaluate the predictive performance of anthropometric indices for metabolic syndrome(Met S)among Chinese adolescents with different nutritional status.Methods We recruited 9,513 adolescents aged 10–18 years from seven provinces in China during September 2014.Anthropometric indices and blood pressure were measured at recruitment,and blood samples were collected for determining fasting plasma glucose and lipid profile.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analyses were used to assess the predictive performance of anthropometric indices,including body mass index(BMI)percentile,waist circumference percentile,waist-height ratio,and waist-hip ratio.Results Overall,the four anthropometric indices showed good accuracy for predicting Met S with areas under ROC curves(AUCs)ranging from 0.86 to 0.94;similar AUCs ranging from 0.73 to 0.99 were observed for participants with normal weight.The performance of all four indices was poor in overweight and obese participants,with AUCs ranging from 0.66 to 0.77 and from 0.60 to 0.67,respectively.Waist circumference showed relatively better performance in all the subgroup analyses.Conclusions We suggest using anthropometric indices with the cutoff values presented here for predicting Met S in the overall and normal-weight adolescent population,but not in the overweight and obese adolescent population where more specific screening tests are required.