title: Impact of obesity on metabolic syndrome among adolescents as compared with adults in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents and adults and to compare the impact of body mass index (BMI) on MetS between adolescents and adults in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were used from 6,186 subjects aged 10 years or more who representatively participated in the Third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Body composition, blood test, and health behavioral factors were measured. We used the definition of MetS from the modified the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) for adolescents and the NCEP-ATP Ⅲ for adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of MetS was 6.4 (95% CI 4.5-8.4) and 22.3 (95% CI 20.8-23.8) in adolescents and adults, respectively. The prevalence of MetS among normal, overweight and obese body types for both adolescents and adults differed significantly (p<0.001). After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratios (ORs) of obese and overweight body types on MetS compared with normal BMI in adolescents were 28.1 (95% CI 11.4-69.1) and 8.7 (95% CI 2.3-33.1), respectively. The ORs of obesity on MetS were 32.0 (95% CI 7.5-136.9), 32.2 (95% CI 12.8-80.8), 16.2 (95% CI 9.4-27.9), 7.6 (95% CI 4.7-12.2) and 9.9 (95% CI 6.8-14.6) for subjects in their 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and older than 60, in order.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the prevalence of MetS increased with age and was more prevalent in males. Moreover, the group younger than 39 years of age had a higher chance of having MetS than the group older than 40 years of age. Weight control is more vital in the earlier stages of life for the prevention and management of MetS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jakyoung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chung Mo
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Soon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult