[The association between obesity indices in adolescence and carotid intima-media thickness in young adults: Kangwha Study].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to investigate the association between obesity indices (body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference) in adolescents and the carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in early adulthood. We also wanted to identify the best predictor for C-IMT among these obesity indices.


METHODS
This study used community-based prospective cohort study, known as the Kangwha Study, and the data we used were from subjects who were 16-years old in 1996 (defined as "adolescence") and 25 years-old in 2005 (defined as "early adulthood"). The 256 subjects (113 men and 143 women) who were used for analysis participated in both follow-ups, and they underwent B-mode ultrasonography of the carotid arteries at the early adulthood follow-up. Obesity indices were defined as the body mass index, weight, waist-hip ratio and waist circumference. The C-IMT was defined as the mean of the maximal IMT of each common carotid artery. The C-IMT and obesity indices associations were evaluated via multivariable regression, logistic regression and the receiver-operator characteristic curve analyses.


RESULTS
In men, all the obesity indices in adolescence were showed to have statistically significant positive association with C-IMT in early adulthood. However, no such relationship was showed in women. On multiple regression and logistic regression analysis, the waist-hip ratio showed the biggest relationship with the C-IMT among the 4 obesity indices. However, there were no statistical significant differences and no best predictor was found. For the women, the obesity incidences and C-IMT showed no relationships.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggested that obesity in adolescence was related to an increase C-IMT in healthy young Korean men.
Lee
Yoo Jung
YJ
Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
Nam
Chung Mo
CM
Kim
Hyeon Chang
HC
Hur
Nam Wook
NW
Suh
Il
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids