Observational Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Pediatr. Sep 9, 2025; 14(3): 107054
Published online Sep 9, 2025. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v14.i3.107054
Cross-sectional association of fitness, fatness, and dyslipidemia with metabolic syndrome in youth
Danladi Ibrahim Musa, Oluwatoyin O Toriola, Hauwa U Usman, Abdul Mohammed
Danladi Ibrahim Musa, Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Kogi State University, Anyigba 272102, Kogi, Nigeria
Oluwatoyin O Toriola, Health and Physical Education, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh 53073, Saudi Arabia
Hauwa U Usman, Human Kinetics and Health Education, Bayero University, Kano 700006, Nigeria
Abdul Mohammed, Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai 911101, Niger, Nigeria
Author contributions: Musa DI conceived the study, analyzed the data and wrote the draft of the manuscript; Toriola OO participated in data analysis, literature search and preparation of the manuscript; Usman HU participated in data collection, literature search, and proofread the manuscript; Mohammed A participated in literature search and revised the manuscript critically for intellectual content, all authors have read and approved the final draft of the manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of the College of Health Sciences, Kogi State University, Nigeria (Ref No: COHS/02/25/2020).
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent and assent of participants were provided by parents/guardians prior to data collection. The study was conducted in compliance with the revised ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised in accordance with the STROBE checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Technical appendix, statistical code, and dataset available from the corresponding author at dimusa55@gmail.com.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Danladi Ibrahim Musa, PhD, Professor, Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Ankpa Road, Kogi State University, Faculty of Education, Anyigba 272102, Kogi, Nigeria. dimusa55@gmail.com
Received: March 14, 2025
Revised: April 8, 2025
Accepted: May 13, 2025
Published online: September 9, 2025
Processing time: 94 Days and 21.4 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adolescents is rising, correlating with the global increase in obesity and physical inactivity.

AIM

To examine the individual and combined associations of fitness, fatness, visceral adiposity index (VAI), and lipid ratios with MetS risk in Nigerian adolescents.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included a sample of 403 adolescents (201 girls and 202 boys) aged 11-19 years. Participants were assessed for cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index (BMI), VAI, triglyceride-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C), and total cholesterol-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C). Regression models adjusted for age and sexual maturity were used to determine the associations between these health markers and MetS risk.

RESULTS

Among the 177 high-risk adolescents, 56.6% were at risk of central obesity, 49.1% had low fitness, 33.3% had dyslipidemia, and 11.7% were obese. After controlling for confounding variables, all health markers were independently and jointly associated with MetS risk, with VAI displaying the strongest explanatory power (girls: β = 1.308, P < 0.001; boys: β = 2.300, P < 0.001). Unfit girls were 5.1% more likely to be at risk of MetS, while the odds of unfit boys being at risk of MetS is 3.6. Boys with elevated VAI were 22.3 times more likely to be at risk of MetS, while the likelihood of girls with elevated VAI developing MetS risk is 2.78.

CONCLUSION

Health markers were independently and jointly associated with MetS risk in adolescents, with VAI and dyslipidemia contributing most significantly. Promoting healthy eating and also aerobic activities among adolescents is crucial for improving metabolic health.

Keywords: Adolescents; Dyslipidemia; Fitness; Metabolic health; Visceral obesity

Core Tip: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major global health concern, with its prevalence rising among adolescents in parallel with increasing obesity and physical inactivity. This study identified a clustering of MetS among Nigerian adolescents. Fitness, visceral adiposity index (VAI), total cholesterol-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides-to-HDL-C ratios were uniquely associated with MetS in this population. While the combined contribution of these health markers in predicting MetS was strong, VAI and lipid ratios emerged as the primary determinants. To mitigate the risk of cardiometabolic disease among adolescents, adopting a healthy diet and engaging in regular aerobic physical activity are recommended.