Gender Differences Time Trends for Metabolic Syndrome and Its Components among Tehranian Children and Adolescents

Aims . To investigate the trend of metabolic syndrome and its components in Tehran children and adolescents during a median followup of 6.6 years. Methods . Data from 1999–2001 (phase I), 2002–2005 (phase II), and 2006–2008 (phase III) of the Tehran, Lipid and Glucose Study were analyzed ( n = 5439; age 6–18 years) for the trend of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components. General estimation equation (GEE) models were used to analyze this correlated data. Results . The crude prevalence of MetS for boys at baseline was 13.2%, which increased to 16.4% in the third phase. In girls, the prevalence of Mets decreased from 11.8% at baseline to 6% during followup. The odd ratios (OR) of obesity over the whole study period were raised in both sexes. The OR of abdominal obesity increased significantly in boys, but no change was observed in girls. No significant OR was observed in boys, while OR for MetS was shown to have a decreasing trend in girls during the followup. In the three time points, the ORs of MetS decreased significantly in girls but no significant difference was observed in boys. Conclusion . Inspite of increasing trend for obesity in both sexes, the trend of MetS decreased in girls and was relatively stable in boys, in Tehranian children, and adolescents.