Glycemia and associated factors in a pediatric population in Mexico

Front Pediatr. 2023 May 17:11:1172837. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1172837. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Aims: In this study, we evaluated the association of sociodemographic, lifestyle and cardiometabolic factors with blood glucose levels in children and adolescents in Mexico.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study of 642 children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years from different educational centers located in municipalities of the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, was carried out. Pearson χ2 and Spearman correlation tests and multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations of the variables with glycemia.

Results: The prevalence of prediabetes was 8.0% in both sexes. Male participants were more likely to develop hyperglycemia than female participants (OR 2.7, 95% CI: 1.5-5.0). The variables associated with glucose levels were male sex, high socioeconomic status, inadequate diet, high blood pressure, and increased total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, which also explained up to 15.6% (p < 0.05) of the variability in glucose concentrations.

Conclusion: The detection of sociodemographic, lifestyle and cardiometabolic factors in children and adolescents will contribute to the implementation of prevention strategies for cardiometabolic diseases, among which prediabetes is common.

Keywords: adolescents; children; factors; glycemia; risk factor.

Grants and funding

This research was financed by the Facultad de Ciencias Químicas through the project assigned to Juan Manuel Vargas Morales and Mix Fund of CONACYT Government of the State of San Luis Potosí and the project “Identification of genetic profiles, proteomics and risk factors associated with noncommunicable diseases and their comorbidities and the implementation of educational interventions for prevention” (FMSLP-2014-C02-251723).