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Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome components among 7─11 year-old children in Rafsanjan, 2008
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Z Salem *   , R Vazirinejad |
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Abstract: (18542 Views) |
| Background and Objectives: The metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for type-2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Not only is it a serious problem in adults, but it is also afflicting an increasing number of children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of some components of the metabolic syndrome among children aged 7─11 years in Rafsanjan, Iran in 2008.
Subjects and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 1275 school children selected by the two-stage random sampling technique in Rafsanjan, Iran in 2008. Data on children’s characteristics were gathered using questionnaires and their blood pressure, weight, height and waist circumference were measured by standard methods. Obesity was defined on the basis of body mass index and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) percentiles and abdominal obesity on the basis of waist circumference (90 ≤th percentile) according to age and gender. For detecting hypertension, the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria described in the Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children were used. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software
Results: The findings show that 21.9 % of the children were overweight or at risk of overweight (11.5% and 9.4 %, respectively), while 6.4% of them suffered from abdominal obesity. Systolic and diastolic hypertension were present in 11.8% and 3.6% of the sample, respectively.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study it can be concluded that 2 of the most important components of the metabolic syndrome, namely, hypertension and abdominal obesity, are prevalent among primary school children in Rafsanjan, Iran. Since blood pressure is related to several background factors, it is essential to assess these factors in children with hypertension. It is also suggested to determine prevalence of the metabolic syndrome components in other age groups and devise and implement appropriate intervention plans.
Keywords: Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Abdominal obesity, Hypertension |
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| Keywords: Metabolic syndrome, Obesity, Abdominal obesity, Hypertension |
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Full-Text [PDF 321 kb]
(3219 Downloads)
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Article type: Research |
Subject:
Food Science
Received: 2010/06/16 | Published: 2010/06/15
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