Table 1.
Clinical and biochemical characteristics of overweight/obese and normal-weight children and adolescents
| Overweight | Obese | P (overweight vs. obese) | Overweight/obese | Normal weight | P (overweight/obese vs. normal weight) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 217 | 469 | 686 | 107 | ||
| Age (years) | 10.6 ± 3 | 10.2 ± 3.2 | NS | 10.3 ± 3.2 | 11.4 ± 3.2 | <0.01 |
| Sex (F/M) (n) | 124/93 | 236/233 | NS | 360/326 | 49/58 | NS |
| Prepubertal/pubertal (n) | 150/67 | 329/240 | NS | 479/207 | 68/39 | NS |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.1 ± 2.3 | 28.9 ± 4 | <0.0001 | 27.7 ± 4.5 | 17.9 ± 2.7 | <0.0001 |
| SDS-BMI | 1.9 ± 0.7 | 3.2 ± 1.2 | <0.0001 | 2.8 ± 1.2 | −0.46 ± 0.8 | <0.0001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 104.19 ± 13.4 | 107.53 ± 15.5 | <0.017 | 106.4 ± 14.9 | 105 ± 10.6 | NS |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 61.35 ± 7.9 | 62.38 ± 9.4 | NS | 62 ± 9 | 61.1 ± 5.4 | NS |
| Glycemia 0′ (mg/dl) | 90.1 ± 7.8 | 89.4 ± 7.6 | NS | 89.6 ± 7.7 | 88.4 ± 8.4 | NS |
| Insulin (μU/ml) | 15.7 ± 7.2 | 16.9 ± 9.7 | NS | 16.6 ± 9 | 11.7 ± 6 | <0.0001 |
| HOMA-IR | 3.5 ± 1.6 | 3.7 ± 2.3 | NS | 3.7 ± 2 | 2.6 ± 1.4 | <0.0001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 168 ± 34.1 | 165.9 ± 32.2 | NS | 166.6 ± 32.8 | 165 ± 26.3 | NS |
| HDL (mg/dl) | 51.4 ± 11.8 | 49.8 ± 11 | NS | 50.3 ± 11.3 | 59.4 ± 12.2 | <0.0001 |
| LDL (mg/dl) | 105.1 ± 28.9 | 103.3 ± 28.2 | NS | 103.9 ± 28.4 | 96.4 ± 24 | <0.02 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 57.2 ± 39.2 | 60.8 ± 32.8 | NS | 59.7 ± 35 | 45.7 ± 29.5 | <0.0001 |
| Autoantibody positive [n (%)] | 7 (3.22) | 8 (1.70) | NS | 15 (2.18) | 2 (1.86) | NS |
| Anti-GAD positive [n (%)] | 6 (2.76) | 7 (1.49) | NS | 13 (1.89) | 2 (1.86) | NS |
| Anti-IA2 positive [n (%)] | 1 (0.46) | 5 (1.06) | NS | 6 (0.87) | 2 (1.86) | NS |
| Anti-IAA positive [n (%)] | 2 (0.92) | 1 (0.21) | NS | 3 (0.43) | 0 | NS |
Data are means ± SD unless otherwise indicated. Overweight, obesity, and SDS-BMI were defined according to Italian growth charts in people aged 2–20 years (12). 1 SD of BMI defines overweight, 2 SD of BMI defines obesity. Pubertal developmental stages were determined according to Tanner. Differences between variables were evaluated by two-tailed Student's t test or Mann-Whitney test. Categorical variables were compared by χ2 or Fischer's exact tests.