Abstract
This study examined sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) in children 12 to 18 years of age, which has been shown in adult populations to be a measure of visceral fat. NHANES 2011-12 data were used (n = 1073) to compare SAD to known cardiovascular disease risk factors. Using linear regression, SAD was directly associated with statistically significant changes in systolic blood pressure (0.73; P < .0001), hemoglobin A1C (A1C) (0.02; P = .001), triglycerides (4.13; P < .0001), insulin (1.87; P < .0001), and inversely associated with statistically significant changes in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-1.32; P < .0001). This study shows a need for SAD to be further evaluated before recommendations for clinical use.