AUTHOR=Chen Manman , Li Yanhui , Chen Li , Gao Di , Yang Zhaogeng , Ma Ying , Ma Tao , Dong Bin , Dong Yanhui , Ma Jun , Hu Jie 

TITLE=Associations Between Single-Child Status and Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents in China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2021.661164

DOI=10.3389/fped.2021.661164

ISSN=2296-2360

ABSTRACT=Objective：To evaluate the associations between single child  and MS, and its individual cardiometabolic risk components and to compared the associations across sex and residence group to find the combination with the highest risk in MS among single children. Methods：Continuous variables were characterized as mean and standard deviations (SD) for continuous variables, and categorical variables were characterized by frequencies and percentages. Differences in general characteristics according to sex were examined by Student’s t test for continuous variables and Pearson’s chi-square for categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for metabolic syndrome and its components according to single child status. Radar maps were used to compare the composition of different components in MS to determine the major affected MS. Results：In total, a number of 11,784 (5,880 boys) children and adolescents were included in this study, with a mean age of 11.3 ± 3.1 years. 7.1% participants were observed with MS with higher prevalence in boys (8.2%) than girls (5.9%) (p<0.05). The prevalence of MS, elevated BP and abdominal obesity in single children were higher than that in not-single children among children and adolescents, particularly in boys (p＜0.001), and the prevalence of abdominal obesity and low HDL-cholesterol was lower in single girls than not-single girls (p<0.05). Elevated risk of abdominal obesity was observed in both single boys and single girls (boys (1.46, 95%CI: 1.24,1.71), girls (1.41, 1.22,1.63)), but increased ORs of elevated blood pressure and metabolic syndrome were observed in single boys only (elevated blood pressure (1.22, 1.04,1.42), metabolic syndrome (1.73, 1.35,2.21)). Among all the combinations of MS,  the combination of elevated blood pressure, abdominal and low HDL-C (1.45, 1.04, 2.04) and the combination of elevated blood pressure, abdominal obesity, low HDL-C and hypertriglyceridemia (2.04, 1.40,3.06) (p<0.05). Conclusions：The present study found that the single children and adolescents had higher risk of MS and its components including elevated blood pressure and abdominal obesity.  What’s more, among 16 combinations of MS, the combination of elevated BP, abdominal obesity and low HDL-C had a higher risk of disease among single children and adolescents.