PREVALENCE OF INSULIN RESISTANCE AND ASSOCIATION WITH METABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND FOOD CONSUMPTION IN ADOLESCENTS - RECIFE/BRAZIL

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of insulin resistance in adolescents and its associations with metabolic factors and food intake. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted with a stratified, complex, school-based sample. The subjects were adolescents (n=1,081) who participated in the Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents in the city of Recife (Pernambuco, Brazil). We analyzed demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, anthropometric, biochemical, and dietary variables. Insulin resistance was defined as HOMA-IR>75(th) percentile. A Poisson multivariate regression model with robust variance adjustment was used, and variables with p≤0.05 in the final model were considered statistically associated with insulin resistance. RESULTS: Median age was 14 years (interquartile range: 13-16 years), and 25.3% of the sample showed insulin resistance. The variables associated with insulin resistance in the final model were age, body mass index-for-age (BMI/A), biochemical markers (triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and saturated fat intake, with insulin resistance being more prevalent in individuals whose consumption of this type of fat was below the median of the sample distribution. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin resistance was prevalent in the adolescents analyzed and was significantly associated with metabolic variables and saturated fat intake.