Metabolic risk assessment in children and adolescents using the tri-ponderal mass index

We assessed the risk of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents who were classified using the tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) with data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Data from 10 to 18-year-old subjects that were overweight or obese (n = 1362) were extracted from the KNHANES 2007–2018. Weight classifications were determined by TMI and included overweight and Class I, Class II, and Class III obesity. The standard deviation scores (SDS) of weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) as well as cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure, serum glucose levels, total cholesterol (T-C), triglycerides, HDL-c, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), worsened with the severity of obesity. Most risk factors showed a linear association with the severity increase, except for fasting glucose levels, T-C, and LDL-c. The prevalence of cardiometabolic risks also increased with the severity of obesity, which developed earlier in boys than in girls. The risk of metabolic syndrome significantly increased with the severity of obesity in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. TMI reflected the severity of obesity and predicted the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. Therefore, clinical applications of TMI could be a useful to identify the incidence of childhood obesity and metabolic syndromes.