The study aims to discover risk factors significantly correlated with insulin resistance among adolescents in Taiwan. A total of 339 study subjects were recruited in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire and physical examinations including anthropometrics and biochemistry profiles were collected. Insulin resistance was assessed using homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Study subjects had a significantly increased risk of IR for those with abnormal level of body mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 3.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.81-6.91), body fat (OR = 2.71; 95% CI = 1.25-5.88), and waist circumference (OR = 25.04; 95% CI = 2.93-214.14) when compared with those who have normal values. Furthermore, a significantly joint effect of 10.86-fold risk for HOMA-IR abnormality among body fat, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure was observed. The identification of risk factors significantly correlated with IR will be important to prevent metabolic syndrome-related diseases and complications for adolescents in their future life.
Keywords: HOMA-IR; adolescents; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome; risk factors.
© 2012 APJPH.