The role of lifestyle and non-modifiable risk factors in the development of metabolic disturbances from childhood to adolescence

This study investigated the impact of lifestyle factors, C-reactive protein (CRP), and non-modifiable risk factors on the development of metabolic disturbances in children transitioning to adolescence. Using latent transition analysis on data from 3889 children in the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort, the study found that higher maternal BMI, familial hypertension, and higher CRP levels increased the risk of various metabolic outcomes. Low/medium parental education increased the risk of abdominal obesity and multiple metabolic disturbances. Lifestyle factors such as media in the bedroom and sports club membership were also associated with some outcomes. Early puberty significantly increased the risk of abdominal obesity and multiple metabolic disturbances. The study concludes that multifactorial interventions targeting factors like media access and sports participation are needed for prevention.

Claudia Börnhorst, Paola Russo, Toomas Veidebaum, Michael Tornaritis, Dénes Molnár, Lauren Lissner, Staffan Märild, Stefaan De Henauw, Luis A. Moreno, Anna Floegel, Wolfgang Ahrens, Maike Wolters