(P27-061-25) The Relationship Between Changes in Measures of Body Adiposity and Changes in Blood Lipid Parameters in Children and Adolescents Enrolled in the MetA-Bone Trial

Objectives: Pediatric dyslipidemia may contribute to the early development of atherosclerosis and lead to cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Available data suggests a strong correlation between overweight (i.e., BMI percentile between 85^th-95^th) and altered blood lipids. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the correlation between changes in proxy measures of body adiposity and blood lipid parameters in children and adolescents participating in the ongoing MetA-Bone Trial, after 12 months.

Methods: This longitudinal analysis focused on the baseline and 12-month data from the ongoing MetA-Bone Trial. Sociodemographic information and health data were collected via self-reported questionnaires. Anthropometric data and fasting blood samples were collected by trained personnel. Measures included body weight, height, waist circumference, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL, and non-HDL cholesterol. Pearson correlations were assessed between changes in BMI percentile, waist circumference and blood lipid parameters after 12 months.

Results: Out of 213 enrolled participants, 86 had complete data for both visits. Average age was 13.1±1.28 years, 51% were females, 79% were Whites, 10% were Blacks, and 74% were Hispanics/Latinos. At 12 months, 6% had elevated TC, 14% had elevated TGs, and 10% had low HDL. Changes in waist circumference were directly correlated with changes in TC (r=0.238, p< 0.05), LDL (r=0.216, p< 0.05), HDL (r=0.255, p< 0.05), and non-HDL (r=0.234, p< 0.05) after 12 months. While there was a very strong inverse correlation between changes in BMI percentile and changes in waist circumference (r=-0.587, p< 0.01), there were no significant correlations between changes in BMI percentile and changes in blood lipid parameters.

Conclusions: We found significant correlations between increases in waist circumference and increases in TC, LDL, HDL, and non-HDL cholesterol in children/adolescents participating in the MetA-Bone Trial after 12 months. Results from this longitudinal analysis suggest that waist circumference is a key proxy measure of body adiposity in this sample, and it could be used to screen and monitor pediatric dyslipidemia.

Funding Sources: Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH