Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1992 Mar;82(3):358–363. doi: 10.2105/ajph.82.3.358

Body fatness and risk for elevated blood pressure, total cholesterol, and serum lipoprotein ratios in children and adolescents.

D P Williams 1, S B Going 1, T G Lohman 1, D W Harsha 1, S R Srinivasan 1, L S Webber 1, G S Berenson 1
PMCID: PMC1694353  PMID: 1536350

Abstract

BACKGROUND. Recent studies have shown considerable variation in body fatness among children and adolescents defined as obese by a percentile rank for skinfold thickness. METHODS. We examined the relationship between percent body fat and risk for elevated blood pressure, serum total cholesterol, and serum lipoprotein ratios in a biracial sample of 3320 children and adolescents aged 5 to 18 years. Equations developed specifically for children using the sum of subscapular (S) and triceps (T) skinfolds were used to estimate percent fat. The S/T ratio provided an index of trunkal fat patterning. RESULTS. Significant overrepresentation (greater than 20%) of the uppermost quintile (UQ) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors was evident at or above 25% fat in males (32.2% to 37.3% in UQ) and at or above 30% fat in females (26.6% to 45.4% in UQ), even after adjusting for age, race, fasting status, and trunkal fat patterning. CONCLUSIONS. These data support the concept of body fatness standards in White and Black children and adolescents as significant predictors of CVD risk factors. Potential applications of these obesity standards include epidemiologic surveys, pediatric health screenings, and youth fitness tests.

Full text

PDF
363

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aristimuño G. G., Foster T. A., Voors A. W., Srinivasan S. R., Berenson G. S. Influence of persistent obesity in children on cardiovascular risk factors: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Circulation. 1984 May;69(5):895–904. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.69.5.895. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baumgartner R. N., Roche A. F. Tracking of fat pattern indices in childhood: the Melbourne Growth Study. Hum Biol. 1988 Aug;60(4):549–567. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berenson G. S., Webber L. S., Srinivasan S. R., Voors A. W., Harsha D. W., Dalferes E. R., Jr Biochemical and anthropometric determinants of serum beta- and pre-beta-lipoproteins in children. Bogalusa Heart Study. Arteriosclerosis. 1982 Jul-Aug;2(4):325–334. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.2.4.325. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Foster T. A., Berenson G. S. Measurement error and reliability in four pediatric cross-sectional surveys of cardiovascular disease risk factor variables--the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(1):13–21. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90092-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Foster T. A., Voors A. W., Webber L. S., Frerichs R. R., Berenson G. S. Anthropometric and maturation measurements of children, ages 5 to 14 years, in a biracial community--the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1977 Apr;30(4):582–591. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/30.4.582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Freedman D. S., Srinivasan S. R., Burke G. L., Shear C. L., Smoak C. G., Harsha D. W., Webber L. S., Berenson G. S. Relation of body fat distribution to hyperinsulinemia in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Sep;46(3):403–410. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/46.3.403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Freedman D. S., Srinivasan S. R., Harsha D. W., Webber L. S., Berenson G. S. Relation of body fat patterning to lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Nov;50(5):930–939. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/50.5.930. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gillum R. F. The association of the ratio of waist to hip girth with blood pressure, serum cholesterol and serum uric acid in children and youths aged 6-17 years. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(5):413–420. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90174-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gortmaker S. L., Dietz W. H., Jr, Sobol A. M., Wehler C. A. Increasing pediatric obesity in the United States. Am J Dis Child. 1987 May;141(5):535–540. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.1987.04460050077035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gutin B., Basch C., Shea S., Contento I., DeLozier M., Rips J., Irigoyen M., Zybert P. Blood pressure, fitness, and fatness in 5- and 6-year-old children. JAMA. 1990 Sep 5;264(9):1123–1127. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Harsha D. W., Frerichs R. R., Berenson G. S. Densitometry and anthropometry of black and white children. Hum Biol. 1978 Sep;50(3):261–280. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mukherjee D., Roche A. F. The estimation of percent body fat, body density and total body fat by maximum R2 regression equations. Hum Biol. 1984 Feb;56(1):79–109. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Newens E. M., Goldstein H. Height, weight, and the assessment of obesity in children. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1972 Feb;26(1):33–39. doi: 10.1136/jech.26.1.33. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shear C. L., Burke G. L., Freedman D. S., Webber L. S., Berenson G. S. Designation of children with high blood pressure--considerations on percentile cut points and subsequent high blood pressure: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1987 Jan;125(1):73–84. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114513. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shear C. L., Freedman D. S., Burke G. L., Harsha D. W., Berenson G. S. Body fat patterning and blood pressure in children and young adults. The Bogalusa Heart Study. Hypertension. 1987 Mar;9(3):236–244. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.9.3.236. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Slaughter M. H., Lohman T. G., Boileau R. A., Horswill C. A., Stillman R. J., Van Loan M. D., Bemben D. A. Skinfold equations for estimation of body fatness in children and youth. Hum Biol. 1988 Oct;60(5):709–723. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Slaughter M. H., Lohman T. G., Boileau R. A., Stillman R. J., Van Loan M., Horswill C. A., Wilmore J. H. Influence of maturation on relationship of skinfolds to body density: a cross-sectional study. Hum Biol. 1984 Dec;56(4):681–689. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Smoak C. G., Burke G. L., Webber L. S., Harsha D. W., Srinivasan S. R., Berenson G. S. Relation of obesity to clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and young adults. The Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol. 1987 Mar;125(3):364–372. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114543. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sorlie P., Gordon T., Kannel W. B. Body build and mortality. The Framingham study. JAMA. 1980 May 9;243(18):1828–1831. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Voors A. W., Harsha D. W., Webber L. S., Radhakrishnamurthy B., Srinivasan S. R., Berenson G. S. Clustering of anthropometric parameters, glucose tolerance, and serum lipids in children with high and low beta- and pre-beta-lipoproteins. Bogalusa Heart Study. Arteriosclerosis. 1982 Jul-Aug;2(4):346–355. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.2.4.346. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES