Abstract
Background: High academic stress and physical inactivity in Korean adolescents increase cardiometabolic risk factors, such as obesity, making it crucial to identify the factors influencing their risk.
Objective: Our aims were to determine differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its 5 components in Korean adolescents according to gender and to identify the influencing factors for cardiometabolic risk (individual risk factor >= 1).
Methods: Data related to adolescents from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2015) were assessed. Bivariate analyses to compare distribution and logistic regression analyses to examine the influencing factors were performed.
Results: Cardiometabolic risk (>=1 risk factor) was found in 33.2% and 32.6% of male and female adolescents, respectively, and metabolic syndrome (>=3 risk factors) was found in 2.0% and 2.3%, respectively. Among male adolescents, cardiometabolic risk was 1.66 times higher for the group that did not perform strength exercises (P = .007). For female adolescents, the cardiometabolic risk was 2.44 times higher in 16- to 18-year-olds than in 12- to 15-year-olds (P < .001) and 1.50 times higher in the non-aerobic-exercise group (P = .030). Central obesity (waist-to-height ratio >= 0.47) increased cardiometabolic risk by 5.71 and 13.91 times in male and female adolescents, respectively (P < .001).
Conclusion: To reduce cardiometabolic risk profiles and future cardiovascular risk in Korean adolescents, school-based physical activity programs should be actively provided not only for students with central obesity but also for students who lack aerobic or strength exercises.