Association of anthropometric measures and cardio-metabolic risk factors in normal-weight children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

The present study aims to explore the association of anthropometric indices and cardio-metabolic risk factors in normal-weight children and adolescents. This cross-sectional nationwide study was conducted in 2015 among 4200 Iranian school students aged 7-18 years. They were selected using a multi-stage cluster random sampling method. Anthropometric indices and cardio-metabolic risk factors including fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipid profile and blood pressure (BP) were measured using standard protocols. The response rate was 91.5. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) had a significant positive correlation with waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and body mass index (BMI) in boys and girls. HDL-C had a significant inverse correlation with WC, HC and BMI in boys. For each unit increase in WC, HC and BMI, the risk of elevated DBP significantly increased by 2, 1 and 11, respectively. Likewise, for each unit increase in WC, HC and BMI, the risk of elevated BP significantly raised by 2, 1 and 10, respectively. For each unit increase in WC, the risk of metabolic syndrome increased by 7. Anthropometric indices are considered an easy, non-invasive tool for the prediction of cardio-metabolic risk factors in normal-weight children and adolescents. © 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.