Thanh DV , Thuy PT , Quyen DH , Dung P, Matsushita Y , Hara M , Nguyen NTT , Uyen HT and Kajio H *
Background: The rate of childhood obesity is rising across the world. The relationship between the level of adiponectin, which is a known marker for metabolic syndrome, and Abdominal Obesity (AO) among children are reported in various reports worldwide; however, there has not been such a research in Vietnam. This study aims to investigate adiponectin levels and its association with abdominal obesity among Vietnamese schoolchildren. Methods: We included 821 grade six students from four randomly selected secondary schools in Hanoi for anthropometric measurements and collecting biochemical samples for blood adiponectin, HbA1C, HDL-C, and LDL-C concentration analysis. AO was identified by waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) of ≥ 0.5. Mann-Whitney’s U test was performed to compare abdominal and non-abdominal obesity among boys and girls. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association of AO and body mass index (BMI) with adiponectin levels. Results: Adiponectin levels were lower in boys (7.65 µg/mL) than in girls (8.79 µg/mL). The percentage of boys with adiponectin levels less than the median was 39.64% in the non-AO group and 66.45% in the AO group, while the percentage for girls were 47.01% in the non-AO group and 74.07% in the AO group. When adiponectin levels were below median, the adjusted odd ratios (aOR) of AO and BMI at 95% confidence intervals were 2.89 (1.74-4.89) in boys and 2.55 (1.27-5.12) in girls and 2.73 (1.66-4.49) in boys and 1.96 (1.16-3.31) in girls, respectively. Conclusions: Regardless of sex, among schoolchildren, adiponectin levels are significantly different between abdominal and non-abdominal obesity groups. Adiponectin generates a clearer effect on AO in boys, and the aOR of AO is higher than BMI aOR. These results suggest that preventing AO could improve the levels of adiponectin in schoolchildren, which will consequently prevent metabolic syndrome and non-communicable diseases in the future.
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